With You, Without You
by smc-27
Summary: They'd been together for 5 years, then she left. What happens when she comes back to town and everything she'd left behind? She comes back for him, but won't admit it. He still denies his true feelings. Will their hearts bring them back to one another? LP
1. Chapter 1

There was a point in his life when he had it all mapped out. Everything to a 'T'. The life he wanted was waiting for him and all he had to do was take the necessary steps to make it a reality.

They had chosen the house they wanted to build their life inside. They had chosen baby names for the children who would run in the yard. They knew they would have it all, but it was always just a 'someday'.

After high school, they had spent the perfect summer together. Knowing his assistant coaching job would only be three hours away made thinking of the fall bearable.

Come fall, Lucas moved away to live with Nathan, Haley and Jamie. Peyton stayed in Tree Hill and took business classes at the local college. They saw each other nearly every weekend for the entire four years. It wasn't as hard as they'd thought it was going to be.

After the four years were up, and Nathan had his accident, the 4 Scotts moved back to Tree Hill. Nathan and Haley bought a big house for their small family, and Lucas moved into his mother's home. She was traveling the world with his little sister and Andy, her new old love.

Peyton all but lived with Lucas. They spent nights together on his porch, basking in the warm breeze and spending time how they'd wanted to for the entire four years prior. Peyton had graduated and was job searching and Lucas was up for the job coaching the Ravens. It was perfect. They were perfect. They were still as happy as they were when they first started dating.

Then the call came. Peyton was offered a job in Nashville as a junior A&R rep for a major label. She had been so scared to tell him that she waited as long as she could before mentioning anything to him about it. One night over dinner when she couldn't wait any longer, she blurted out the news.

"Luke, I was offered a job in Nashville and it sounds really great. But I don't have to take it and I don't know what to do because everything's been so good with us." She didn't take a breath through her whole spiel and couldn't look at his face.

"Peyton, that's great!" He was excited and happy for her. "You should take it."

"What? You just got your coaching job." She looked at him, finally, with worry in her eyes. He grabbed her hands across the table.

"Yes. Now it's time for you to chase your dream. You can't do that in Tree Hill. What are you gonna do, start your own label? You should take it."

"What about you?"

"I'll be here. Missing you. And on my way to Nashville every chance I get."

"Luke..."

"Peyton, I want you to get everything you want." She got up from her seat, knelt beside him and put her hands on his knees.

"Lucas Scott, you are my favourite person in this whole entire world."

A week later, they were packing her things into a U-Haul and saying goodbye to Haley and Nathan, with Brooke on speaker phone from New York. Luke drove with Peyton to Nashville and did the heavy lifting as she settled into her new, tiny apartment. When it was time for him to leave, she suddenly felt like everything was going to fall apart and that she'd made a huge mistake.

"Luke, I need you to tell me that everything is going to be OK."

"Peyt, everything is going to be fine. You are going to be amazing." He folded her into his arms like he'd done a thousand times before.

"No, it's not the job, it us." She was sobbing into his chest, leaving tear drops on his blue shirt.

"We're going to be fine, Peyton." He pulled away from her and wiped the tears from her eyes so he could look into them. "It's you and me. Forever."


	2. Chapter 2

It was Thanksgiving and they had only see each other once since she left in July. Once the basketball season started, Lucas couldn't get away to see her. They talked on the phone at least once a day. They had promised each other that, even if it would only be a call to say they couldn't talk.

The day before she flew in, he was so excited he could barely sit still. He had finally bought the ring. It was delicate and simple and so unbelievably...Peyton. He worked on what he was going to say for hours in front of his mirror. There was a knock on his door and he stuffed the ring into his sock drawer. He swore it was her. She must have gotten an earlier flight. His heart was racing as he walked to the door and turned the knob.

"Hey, Broody. You miss me?" The bubbly brunette was standing in front of him with a giant smile on her face and a hand on her hip.

"Brooke? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was hoping for a more enthusiastic response."

"Sorry, Brooke. It's great to see you." He grabbed her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Holy 20 questions." She said, sitting herself down on his bed. "Actually, that was the same question twice, but whatever. My old house was on the market, you know, the one with the red door?" Lucas was nodding as it was quite obvious what she meant. "So I bought it!"

"You bought your old house, Brooke?" His arms were crossed on his chest.

"I love that house. And I have the cash, so why not?" She shrugged her shoulders as though purchasing a house was nothing extraordinary.

"No reason, Brooke. " He was laughing at her. "You bought a house." He said, his voice trailing. "I bought something, too." He turned and opened his drawer.

"Showing me your undies, Lucas? I thought those days were over?" She leaned back on her elbows until he showed her the box. "NO. WAY! Lucas whatever your middle name is Scott!" She opened the velvet box. "Oh my God this is so the perfect ring for her!"

"I thought so." A smile was widening on his face. The two sat in silence in his room for a few minutes.

"Luke, I know this is really huge and everything, but..."

"What? You think she's going to say no?" he interrupted nervously.

"Oh, no. She'll say yes. I just came over to ask you to help me unpack the moving truck."


	3. Chapter 3

When he picked her up at the airport the next day, he actually picked her up. He saw her walking towards him and made his way to her as calmly as he could before taking her in his arms and lifting her off the ground.

"I love you." He whispered into her hair. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. She had missed him so much while she was gone. It was almost hard to be near him. She knew that it would be even harder to leave this time than it had been the last.

The two walked hand in hand to his car. They only let go of each other while he put her bag in the trunk. They got to his house and he grabbed her as soon as she stepped her feet on the ground outside the car.

"Luke, my stuff!" She protested.

"Later," he said. There was a look in his eyes she'd seen many times before. They stumbled through his bedroom door, locked in an embrace, and fell onto his bed together.

--

Hours later, he was standing in the kitchen in his boxers making her dinner. She leaned on the door frame and watched him. She sighed at the sight of his strong back and muscular arms. He must have heard her because he turned his head, then his whole body. His hands resting on the counter behind him, he looked her up and down.

"What is it about you in my shirt that is so damn good?"

"Is there a wrong answer to that?" she joked, walking towards him. She leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I missed this." He said after a few seconds.

"Me too." She said. Her heart was breaking for him, for them, and for everything they had together.

They sat at the kitchen table barely dressed and ate the meal he'd prepared, talking and joking like they always did. He got up when they were finished and disappeared into his bedroom. He grabbed the black box out of his drawer and took a deep breath. '_This moment,'_ he thought, _'this is it.'_ He looked at himself in the mirror, remembering the simple speech he'd rehearsed the night before.

Before he got a chance to say the words, she called to him from the kitchen and said they needed to talk. Talking is never good when someone says you need to do it.

He walked back to the table to see her sitting with her head in her hands and tears in here eyes.

"Peyt, what's wrong?" He sat beside her and pulled his chair close to hers.

"I..I," she broke down again. "I got transfered."

"Transfered? What does that mean?" He was stroking her arms through the blue dress shirt she was wearing.

"That means I'm leaving for L.A. as soon as I get back to Nashville." She finally looked at him. She wasn't sure if he was in shock or if he just didn't understand. There was a blank look on his face.

"So...?" his voice trailed.

"So I'm moving."

"Oh." He took his hands from her arms and placed them on his own knees, as if bracing himself from falling over.

"I asked if I had to go, Luke, and they said that if I want to keep my job, this is what I have to do." She placed her hands on his and looked to the floor.

"So you're leaving. Again. And going further away this time?"

"Luke, I don't want us to end, but I don't see another way."

His head snapped up to meet her eyes. She was crying again, and he felt a tear forming in his own eye.

"What are you saying? Are you...Are you breaking up with me?"

"I don't think I can do this, Luke." A tear fell down his cheek.

He didn't say anything. Mostly because he couldn't. This girl was supposed to love him forever. They'd been together for 5 years and nothing had come between them that they couldn't fight together. She had survived so many things by leaning on each other, and now she was trying to take it away from him.

"If you don't love me, just say it." He said angrily.

"Of course I love you." She had hurt on her face as she said the three words she'd said hundreds of times before.

"But you don't want to be with me." He stated it like a fact.

"I don't see how I can."

He didn't say a word in return. He just sat, head down, looking at the floor.

"Say something," she pleaded softly.

"I can't," he said, and got up from his chair. He went and got dressed, and took her bags out of the trunk of his car and placed them in his bedroom. When he returned to the kitchen, she was still sitting exactly how he left her.

"Lock the door when you leave." He didn't even look at her when he said it.

She heard the car door slam and his tires squeal as he drove off. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so terrible. Walking back into his room, she took off his shirt and laid it on his bed. She put on a pair of jeans and a loose tee shirt and stood there, taking everything in for the last time.

She loved him, but she didn't want them to grow apart and resent each other and blame one another for the relationship failing. She never considered that it might not have failed...

She dialed a familiar number. "Brooke, can you come get me?"

She spent the rest of the weekend in Brooke's spare bedroom, crying over having to leave him behind to follow her dream. By Sunday morning, Brooke knew she had to pull her friend up off the ground and help her get it together before she left town.

"Hey girlie." Brooke knocked softly on the open door and looked in the room to see her best friend laying on her side with a pillow clutched to her chest. She didn't answer. "I thought you might want to talk."

"Not really."

Brooke walked to the windows and threw open the blinds before taking a seat on the bed.

"OK, Peyton, you gotta tell me what happened for two reasons. 1- I want to help you, and 2- I need the gossip."

Peyton took a deep breath. "I'm moving to L.A. That's what happened."

"Yeah, so why can't you be with Luke and be in L.A.?" she asked with a confused look.

"Because we'd end up hating each other. And I like him too much for that to happen."

"Honey, I think you're past just liking him." The brunette tried to joke to ease the tension.

"Brooke..."

"I'm sorry!," she paused." I just don't get why it has to be Lucas, or L.A."

"Because I love him. And I don't want us to go through the painful process of drifting apart and missing each other." Peyton rolled onto her back, with the pillow still covering her torso.

"Peyton, he's going to miss you now, probably more. Now he's got nothing to hold onto."

"No. No, you should have seen him. He looked like I just ripped his heart out."

"Well, ya kinda did," Brooke pointed out.

"OK, you're not helping me right now."

"I'm not trying to be a bitch. I just know both of you. He's going to be a long time getting over this. And you are going to pretend to be over it quickly but really carry it around with you forever."

Peyton sighed at the thought of Lucas hurting. "I just need to know he's going to be OK."

"He's going to be OK. He has us: me, Haley and Nate, Jamie, Skills, Mouth.." Brooke said. "It's you I worry about."

Peyton shook her head at the statement. "Promise me something?" she asked.

"Sure, buddy. What?" Brooke reached for her friend's hand.

"Promise me you'll take care of him. Just don't tell me anything about it."

"OK, P. Sawyer. If that's what you want." Brooke took her friend's hand.

"Yeah. It'd be too hard to hear about him all the time and not be able to be with him."

Brooke sat quietly, holding Peyton's hand. She knew she had to keep her word to her friend, but worried about Lucas. Where had he gone when he had left Peyton in his house? There was only one place she could think of, and he'd probably been there all weekend. After Brooke dropped her friend at the airport, she drove to the Rivercourt.

"Hey," she said to him as he shot a three-pointer. He'd seen her walk towards the court but hadn't acknowledged her.

"Hi," he said. He was winded, and she'd wondered if he'd been out there for a couple hours, or all day, or since Friday.

"I'd ask how you are but you'd probably kill me." Brooke sat on the picnic table and watched him grab his own rebound.

"I'm terrible, and no I wouldn't kill you." He grabbed the ball and spun it in his hands. He looked at her and she could see the pain in his eyes. Five years worth of good memories erased by one awful one.

"I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything, but I am," she said as he sat down next to her.

"It means something." He turned to look at her.

"Look, Luke, if you need to talk..." her voice trailed, "...all you have to do is say the word. You're my friend and I want you to know that whatever you say to me, doesn't get back to her."

"Thanks, Brooke." He paused for a moment and his resolve broke. "It was five years. I just can't believe her."

"Really?" she asked. Her response caught him off guard. "She's always been like this. Things get too intense and she pulls away."

"You mean things get hard and she leaves?" he asked. "I didn't think she would." he looked at his hands. He could feel the tears coming again. "I thought she was mine."

"She's yours. She just doesn't realize it. And you can't make her."

"So what do I do?" He turned to her, and she watched the tear fall.

"You wait. Or you move on. It's up to you." Brooke took his hand to show that she was going to help him through it.

"I don't want to believe it's over. I don't want it to be over. But I think it is."

The two sat in silence, Brooke's hand on his, for a few minutes.

"Hey," she said to him, "Let's go see Jamie, OK?" She knew Jamie was the one thing - the one person - who could always make Lucas smile.

"OK," he said. The two started towards his car. "Brooke?"

"Yea?" she turned to him.

"Thank you."

She nodded and he knew she'd always be there for him. He'd always hoped the two of them would become good friends again. One of his biggest regrets was losing her as a close friend, and he was glad to have the chance to have that back, even if heartbreak was what made it happen.


	4. Chapter 4

Her first weeks in L.A. had been the hardest. She spent her time alone, thinking about Lucas. The few people she had met were living a lifestyle she couldn't imagine. They worked long hours, always ate at restaurants, and went out drinking or listening to new bands every night. From her first day, Peyton went to work, did her job, and went back to her apartment. She was lonely and scared that this would be her entire life, for the rest of her life.

She had lived in L.A. for a full year, working her hardest to try to impress her bosses. Every once in a while, she felt like herself. Most of the time, though, she felt completely out of touch with reality- not wanting to believe she'd left everything behind for this. There were still boxes unpacked from her move. Actually, they had been taped shut since she first left Tree Hill for Nashville.

She hadn't talked to Lucas since the day she told him she was leaving, and Brooke, Haley, and Nathan knew not to mention his name to her. Nathan slipped once, and she felt as though her heart stopped. Even the mention of him still had that effect on her.

She'd tried dating. Well, she'd gone on one date. Fraser, who was a lawyer who'd introduced himself to her at the Starbucks she frequented, had asked her to dinner. She wasn't sure she was interested, but she'd said yes because she knew it was time to move on. She knew, because Brooke reminded her every time she called. At least now she could tell Brooke she'd gone on a date the next time they spoke.

He picked her up, and from the moment she answered the door, he played all the right date cards. He told her she looked beautiful, opened the car door for her, pulled out her chair, paid for dinner, offered his jacket when she shivered. But it's no secret Peyton had never been one for following the rules. She found it all stale and boring, and all she wanted to do was go home and sit in her pajamas watching television. When he leaned in for a kiss, she let him put his lips on hers. But it felt wrong. It felt so wrong that she almost cried. She wanted someone else, and she'd let him go. She never saw Fraser again.

Another year went by. She'd made some more friends through the music scene, and though she still felt a huge hole in her life where Lucas was supposed to be, she felt more and more at ease with how things were turning out. She knew she'd never get over him - never - but was starting to think that someday down the road, she'd be able to move past it and meet someone knew.

--

She was sleeping when her phone rang. She noticed it was still dark outside, and answered her phone groggily.

"Hi, bestie," said the cheery voice on the other end of the line.

"Brooke. Why can't you ever remember the time difference?" Peyton looked at her clock. "It's 4:00 a.m. on a Saturday."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Brooke took a sip of her coffee. "Listen, I have to come to L.A. for work. You want to get together?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I do! When are you coming?" Peyton sat up in her bed.

"Tuesday until Friday. I have limo service and I'm just about to have my assistant book me a room at the W."

"No. No way. You're staying with me." Peyton insisted.

"Oh, I was hoping you'd say that!" Brooke squealed. "It'll be just like the old days. Too bad Haley can't come!"

"Oh, God." Peyton winced at the memory of the three of them eating ice cream and having pillow fights. "Please tell me you are not going to make this some weird slumber party."

"No, no. I won't, I promise." Brooke laughed. "But if you don't have some butter-pecan ice cream in the freezer when I get there, I'm going to a hotel." This made them both to laugh for a few seconds. They chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up. Peyton threw the covers back over her head, and went back to sleep. She spent the rest of the weekend tidying her apartment and listening to music and shopping for a few of Brooke's favourite snacks.

She went to work Monday morning feeling hopeful and anticipating something for the first time in a long time. She couldn't wait for her best friend to arrive and she could feel the comfort of someone who truly knew her.

Halfway through the day on Monday, her boss called her into his office. She was worried at first, but when she walked through his door, her mind was put to ease by his smile.

"Nice shirt, Sawyer," he said, gesturing to the silhouette of Johnny Cash emblazoned on the black fabric.

"Thanks, Case." Her boss had always been good to her. She took to calling him Case instead of Casey, after he started referring to her as Sawyer. She didn't stop him because it reminded her of home, and the way Nathan used to talk to her. Casey had been a great mentor to her, showing her the ropes of the business without judgement.

"Have a seat, kid." Peyton sat down in the leather chair across from his desk. He turned away from his computer and clasped his hands on his desk.

"How long have you been working here?" he asked.

"Here in L.A.? 2 years, then another few months in Nashville." She shifted in her seat.

"Right. Well, this isn't common knowledge yet, but Mark is leaving the company." Mark was the head of A&R, and a 15 year veteran of the business, with 10 of those years at this company alone. He was the one Peyton directly reported to.

"OK..." She narrowed her eyes to look at him, wishing he would just get to his point so she could stop her heart from beating so rapidly.

"Well, he and I talked, and we both think that you would be the best person to take over his position when he leaves."

A promotion. Casey kept talking, but all she could think was that this is what she'd been working for. The raise alone was enough to make her accept the offer, but she would now be one of the most powerful industry reps in L.A. She hadn't remembered feeling this happy in ages.

"So? What do you think? You want it?" Casey asked, already knowing the answer.

"Hell yeah!" She got up from her seat to shake his hand, but he walked around the desk and hugged her. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you."

"You're going to kick ass, Sawyer. I'll have HR draw up the papers."

She left his office that day and was in meetings the rest of the afternoon. She couldn't take the smile off her face. Now she wanted Brooke around even more, so she could share the news with her best friend.

She got home around 7:00 and, after eating, decided it was time to unpack the boxes that were lined up along the wall at the foot of her bed. She lifted the blanket that was covering them, and found the three boxes labeled 'Books'.

She tore the tape off one and sat cross-legged on the floor pulling a mix of hardcovers and paperbacks out one by one. She leafed through each book before placing them in piles next to her, sorting them by genre.

At the bottom of the third box, she found something she'd never seen before. She lifted out what looked like a manuscript and ran her fingers over the title before her eyes found the author's name. A lump formed in her throat. _An Unkindness of Ravens_, by Lucas E. Scott. There was a yellow Post-It on the cover, which both confused and intrigued her.

_"You decide how this ends..."_

She opened to the first page, and the dedication was simple, and made a tear fall.

_"For Peyton"_

She lifted herself onto her bed, never letting go of the pages she held in her hands, and leaned herself back on the headboard. She breathed in deeply and began to read. She stayed up most of the night, carefully going over every word, every page, every chapter, and reliving the experiences of her youth as written by the man whose words had always been so perfect.

She didn't know he had written this, and wondered when and how he'd ever found the time to write such beautiful and eloquent things. He confessed his love for her, and like she'd done a million times before, she wondered if he still did love her. She wondered if he longed for her, or if she was just a passing thought that entered his head when something in the small town reminded him of her.

She was awake and reading the final chapter of the book when Brooke knocked on her door. She wiped a tear from her eye, and went to answer the door, realizing she was still in her clothes from the day before. She'd asked for the day off to spend some time with her friend, which Casey had gladly granted her.

"Hi!" Brooke said excitedly as she took her friend into a tight hug.

"Hey." Peyton managed a syllable as she tried to wipe a tear from her face.

"OK, I'm here for two seconds and I already need to fix you. What's wrong?" Brooke was sympathetic and had her driver bring in her bags and set them near the door inside the apartment.

The two sat on Peyton's couch as the blonde told her friend the entire story- about finding the book and reading it, and what it said. Brooke sat, listening intently with her mouth open in shock. None of them had known about the book. Lucas and Brooke had become close friends again over the past two years, and had talked about Peyton at length. He'd never said anything.

"I...I don't know what to tell you," Brooke started, "Obviously he wanted you to read it before now."

"I just keep thinking- what if I'd found it when I went to Nashville? Would I have still moved here? Would I have reconsidered everything?" Peyton wondered aloud, looking at her best friend.

"Well, you were together for 5 years before this. Do you really think reading that book would have changed your mind about all this?"

"I don't know, Brooke." She paused for a moment. "Shouldn't it be easier to get over him? Shouldn't I be over him?"

"Maybe you should," Brooke admitted. "But you know, if you're still in love with him, maybe that means that that's the way it's supposed to be."

Peyton's eyes shot up to meet Brooke's. In all the conversations she'd had with her, Haley and Nathan, no one had ever explained it like that. They had all encouraged her to move on - they had told Lucas the same - but none of them had ever admitted that she _should_ be in love with him.

Peyton got up and went into her bedroom, with Brooke calling after her and finally getting up to follow her friend. Peyton opened the manuscript to a page she had marked with a dog ear.

"Read it," she said, passing the book to Brooke. The two stood in silence as Brooke's eyes moved over the words.

_"Suddenly it was as if the roar of the crowd, the echo of the final buzzers, the cheers of my teammates were all sounding from 1,000 miles away, and what remained in that bizarre, muffled silence was only Peyton. The girl whose art, passion, and beauty had changed my life. In that moment, my triumph was not a state championship, but simple clarity. The realization that we had always been meant for each other and every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth...I was now and would always be in love with Peyton Sawyer."_

"Wow." It was all Brooke could think to say when she lifted her eyes from the page to meet Peyton's. Both girls had tears brimming and ready to fall. "So what now?"

"Now?" She looked to the ground, then back to her friend. "I move back to Tree Hill."

"Wait. What?" Brooke was shocked and excited and nervous for her friend. She followed Peyton from the bedroom into the kitchen, where she was now putting on a pot of coffee.

"It's time. I've been battling with it for a while now," Peyton explained, but the confused look on Brooke's face didn't change. "My dad called me a couple months ago. He moved to Florida to be closer to his new job, but the house is paid for. He had his lawyer draw up the papers and it's mine."

"What do you mean it's yours?" Brooke asked.

"I mean he gave me the house. He wanted it to stay with me instead of some strangers. It's just been sitting there, empty."

"Wow." Brooke said, and grabbed her friend in a hug before beginning to search through drawers.

"What are you looking for?" Peyton questioned with a grin.

"A spoon. We need ice cream. And liquor."

The two girls spent the rest of the day drinking margaritas and packing a few boxes, breaking briefly for food. Peyton didn't tell Brooke about the promotion. She knew if she told her, Brooke would have her reconsider moving. The truth is, Peyton missed Tree Hill and everyone she'd left behind. This was the easiest decision she'd made in years, and she recognized its simplicity was derived from following her heart, and her love of the boy who'd changed her life.

Somehow, the two managed to avoid the hangover they should have gotten after so much sugar and tequila. Brooke had meetings all the next day, and Peyton had to work. She was dreading telling Casey she'd changed her mind. She'd seen him upset a few times before, and didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his outbursts.

"Sawyer!" he shouted when he saw her enter his office. "I was just about to call you in here to sign these papers and look over the announcement of your promotion." He said the last word with raised eyebrows and an excited tone to his voice.

"Listen, Casey..." she started, before he interrupted her.

"No. Not the full name." He looked at her with his head tilted, waiting for what she was about to say.

"Look, I am always going to be grateful for you and for this offer, but I can't accept it." She started to ramble. "I know I said yesterday that I would, and I really wish things were different, but I just can't." She stopped talking long enough to look at his reaction, which was a blank stare. "I'm leaving L.A."

He placed his hands on his desk, as if to stop himself from falling over.

"Peyton, is this about that Luke guy?" She'd told him a bit of the story once when they were swapping sob stories, after his divorce was finalized. "I thought that was over."

"Maybe it is," she said, looking straight at the man who'd offered her a position as industry royalty. "But if it's not, I need to be there, not here." She watched as he shook his head in what she recognized as disappointment, but it didn't phase her. Moving back to Tree Hill felt right. "Look, Casey, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. I really appreciate it and I hope we can keep in touch. But, consider this my two weeks' notice."

Peyton marched out of his office feeling more carefree and happy than she had in over two years. She finished out her two weeks and said her goodbyes to her coworkers and the few friends she'd made. Casey's animosity was palpable, but again, she knew it would pass. He had to understand what she was doing and why she had to do it.

She had the moving company pick up her boxes the day before she got on the plane. The manuscript was in her carry on. She had carried it with her since the night she first read it, hoping that somehow, he still meant the words he'd written, and that her leaving L.A. would be the start she needed to fill the Lucas-shaped hole in her heart.


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas had spent two years drowning himself in basketball and his coaching job and his family. He spoiled Jamie rotten, spending most of his free time with the young boy, and having him hang out at team practices. Haley and Nathan had attempted to set him up a couple times with friends they'd met along the way, but Lucas always either found a reason not to go, or a reason why he wasn't interested after only one date.

Lucas and Brooke had grown close, and mutually found their friendship to be more fulfilling and honest than the time they'd spent dating. Haley questioned whether the two would ever become a couple again, but Lucas explained that Brooke was similar to what Haley had always been: more like a sister than anything else. Brooke also knew that no matter what he said to the contrary, he was still in love with Peyton. And that was before she read the book.

His coaching job kept him sane and filled his time. He enjoyed the challenges of teaching a group of young men to act with integrity and discipline, and to treat each other with respect, all while loving the game. He took words from Whitey when he had to - after all, the man had taught both Lucas and Nathan more about the game and about life than almost anyone else.

During the two summers he'd been alone, he travelled with Lily and his mom. He loved that little girl and saw so much of Keith in her, even though the two had never met. He knew Keith was a part of them, all three of them, and being around his little sister just reminded him of that, though he never really needed the reminder.

Karen tried to talk to him about Peyton, but he always changed the subject. Karen and her son's former girlfriend had grown very close over the years. Peyton had shared music and art with Karen, and Karen had taught Peyton the basics of cooking and business fundamentals. Karen once admitted to Lucas that she missed the blonde and what she brought to each of them, most importantly happiness to her son. He had just looked at her and nodded, all the while wondering if he could have done something to keep her. Could he have tried harder? Loved more? Had he pushed her away? Two years' worth of questions that were still unanswered.

--

"Luke, that's the third free throw in a row you've missed. What's up?" Nathan asked as his brother wiped sweat from his temple with his tee shirt.

"Nothing, man. Just shoot." Lucas said, passing the ball to his brother.

"Bull shit." Nathan said, freezing the ball in his hands.

Lucas laughed and looked to the ground. "You know what today is?"

"Umm," Nathan started, "some pathetic little anniversary you have marked and remembered somehow?"

"No, jackass." Lucas said, grabbing the ball from Nathan. "It's her birthday."

"Oh. Right. I never could remember that," he said, shaking his head.

"No wonder she dumped you." Lucas chuckled.

"Funny." Nathan said, accepting a pass. He threw a free throw and watched in frustration as it bounced off the rim. "Dude, it's been two years. Maybe you should move on."

"I've moved on." Lucas replied, throwing the ball back to his brother.

"Liar." Luke tilted his head and shot Nathan a look. "All I'm saying is that maybe you should, I don't know, try to meet someone."

"I meet plenty of people! They are just..." his voice trailed as Nathan sunk a shot.

"Not Peyton?" Nathan said, with his hands on his hips. He had broken the unwritten rule - none of them were supposed to say her name around him, unless he brought it up.

"That's over, Nate," he said, as if trying to convince himself.

"Yeah, it is. So let it be over." Lucas stared at his brother, pondering what was just said. The two stood in silence for a few moments while Nathan caught his breath.

Nathan's cell rang and he walked over to the picnic table and picked up his phone. He saw the name on the call display, and quickly turned away from Lucas, who was grabbing a bottle of water.

"Hello?" He spoke softly.

"Hi Nathan. Are you busy right now?" asked the familiar voice on the other end of the line. Speak of the devil.

"Um, I'm just hanging out with Luke," he said, looking over at his big brother, who was now dribbling the ball down the court.

"Oh. Bad timing. Nevermind. I'll try someone else."

"No, no. What's up?" Nathan asked, curious and worried about her.

"I was just wondering if you might be able to pick me up at the airport?" The tone of her voice told him that she was nervous and calling him as a last resort.

"Um, yeah. Yes. I'll be there in a bit."

"Thanks, Nathan." The two hung up and he looked over to his brother who was now standing with the ball resting on his hip under his arm.

"What was that about?" Luke asked.

"Nothing. I have to go though. I'll call you later."

"OK...?" said the blonde, confused.

"It's all good, man. I just have to go do something." Nathan walked away from the court leaving his brother behind. He climbed into his car and drove the 20 miles to the airport. He wondered what it was that was bringing her back to her hometown after two years away.

He saw her standing on the curb waiting. She was impossible to miss. Her hair was longer now, and not as blonde. Her curls had been abandoned for a soft wave, and she was wearing clothes that he'd never admit to recognizing as Clothes Over Bros. She smiled as he saw him approaching. He jumped out of the vehicle to help her with her bags. Before he did, he grabbed her in a hug.

"Good to see you, Sawyer."

"You too, Scott." She watched him loading her bags into the back of his SUV.

"Damn, Peyton," he said as he hopped back in the front seat. "Make me break a sweat...How long are you visiting for?"

"Indefinitely." She looked at him skeptically. He took it as a sign not to ask any more questions about it.

"So, where to?" He asked after a few minutes.

"Home." But what was home now? She was moving back into the house she grew up in. Part of her couldn't wait to walk through the door to her room. As far as she knew, her father had left it exactly how she had. But part of her just wanted to open the door to Lucas' room and collapse with him on his bed. The bed they had shared for so many nights.

"Peyton, who knows you're here?" He asked. What he really wanted to ask was '_does Lucas know you're here?'_

"Just you, Brooke and my dad." She turned to look at him. "He moved down to Florida for his job. He gave me the house."

"Gave you the house? Just like that?" Nathan asked, turning his eyes from the road briefly and she nodded.

The drove in silence the rest of the distance. Nathan's head was full of questions - the most important being: What is Lucas going to do? He had watched his brother fall apart and take two years to attempt to put the pieces back together. And even now, Nathan wasn't sure Lucas was over Peyton- the beautiful girl he'd always loved. As glad as he was to see her home, Nathan was worried Lucas would come undone again.

As Nathan helped carry her bags into her bedroom, a space he knew well, she finally spoke again.

"Nate, how's Lucas." Her tone was soft, as if she wasn't sure she had the right to ask.

"Now? Fine. When he sees you?" he paused, looking to his feet. "I'm not sure."

"That's what I was afraid of." She turned her head to her left, catching a glimpse of a photo of her and her former boyfriend.

"What?" He had a perplexed look on his face.

"That he's fine."

They stood for a few minutes before Nathan could think of a reason to get out of there.

"Look, Haley's waiting, so I should..."

"Oh God! Yeah, go! Thanks again." She reached out to grab Nathan in a hug.

"No problem." He pulled away. "And happy birthday."

"You remembered?" She asked skeptically.

"No. Someone reminded me." He smiled at her and left her in her bedroom, wondering if the one who'd reminded him was the one she'd most hoped would remember.

--

Peyton spent the night unpacking and listening to long forgotten albums. The next morning, she awoke not knowing where she was. _'Home,'_ she thought. Tree Hill, North Carolina. Where she'd belonged all along. She showered and got dressed in jeans and a vintage Van Halen tee shirt, and drove to the only house she could think of driving to.

"P. Sawyer!" Brooke had opened the door and thrown her arms around her best friend.

"Hey Brooke."

"Good to have you back, buddy." The two girls hugged as though they hadn't seen each other just two weeks earlier.

"It's..." she paused, breaking from the embrace,"...weird to be back."

"Sorry I couldn't get you at the airport yesterday. You know, work and everything." Brooke gestured towards her living room, with sketches and papers strewn over every surface.

"No, no. It's OK. I had Nathan pick me up."

"Oh. That's...a little weird." Brooke poured coffee for the two of them and sat at the island in the kitchen of her home.

"No, it was alright. A little awkward when I told him I was back for good, though." Peyton sipped from the mug of steaming liquid.

"Wait, weren't he and Luke playing basketball yesterday?" Brooke narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah..." The girls sat in silence and tension for a few moments.

"Oh!" Brooke exclaimed, leaping from her seat. "I have something for you!"

She walked back into the kitchen holding a rectangular box with a large bow on it.

"Happy Birthday, P. Sawyer." She gave the box to Peyton, who untied the bow and removed layers of tissue paper to reveal a beautiful dress.

"Brooke, it's gorgeous."

"It's one of a kind. I sewed it myself, which trust me, I never do anymore."

"Thank you, really. Too bad I don't have anyplace to wear something like this." Peyton's fingers traced the fabric in the box.

"Yes, you do." Brooke shot Peyton a look. "We're going to Tric tonight. Sundays are high class now."

"High class for Tree Hill, or high class for Brooke Davis?" Peyton laughed. Brooke had always been a lot more glamourous than her surroundings, save for the years she'd spent in New York.

"It's a wonderful mix of both," she laughed, then continued sternly, "You're wearing it."

--

"Brooke, I don't know about this." Peyton pleaded as they walked up the steps to Tric.

"Come on. It'll be fun. Haley's coming." They walked inside, and Peyton was happy to see that she wasn't overdressed. Everyone in the crowd was wearing cocktail dresses and sipping drinks.

"Peyton Sawyer!" She spun around to see the familiar face of a man she'd come to know and love through Lucas.

"Skills! Or is it Coach Taylor?" she teased, hugging him.

"Just Skills. Good to have you back. Nate says you're staying?" She nodded. "Well, I'mma buy you two a couple drinks."

He made his way to the bar as the two girls spotted Haley through the crowd. They waved her over and Haley just about knocked Peyton over with her hug.

"I missed you, girlie."

"Missed you too. And your baby boy, and your husband." Peyton cringed, realizing what she'd just said. "You know, as a friend..." They all laughed at their twisted history.

"Well, he's on his way, he was just waiting for Deb to get to the house to watch Jamie." They walked towards a table and each put their purses down as Skills returned.

They stood sipping drinks and laughing until the sight of two men, Nathan and Lucas, walking through the door, made them all tense.

"Well, this should be interesting," Skills said.

"I should..." Peyton started, "I don't think I should be here." She knew she would eventually encounter him, she just didn't expect it to be this soon.

"Don't be stupid, Peyton." Haley placed a hand on her friend's forearm. "He's got to get used to it."

Peyton finished her drink quickly and made her way to the bar for a refill. That's when Lucas saw her. He could barely believe his eyes. He'd spent the last two years dreaming of the moment he'd see her again, but now that that moment had arrived, he had no clue how to react to it.

"Nathan. What's?...How?...What's she doing here?" He stuttered before looking to his brother.

"She's back, Luke." Nathan's eyes met his brother's.

"And you didn't think I might want to know that? You think I would have come if I'd known?" He was angry that no one had thought to tell him that the girl who broke his heart was back in town. He shook his head in his brother's direction, expressing his disappointment.

"Come on, man. You can't just hide out in your house. We're all friends here." Nathan walked towards his wife and friends, leaving Lucas behind a few paces until he decided to join the group.

"Thanks for the ambush, guys," he said as he approached the table.

"We didn't know until yesterday," Haley defended herself and her husband.

"I didn't know till 20 minutes ago," Skills pointed out.

They all looked at Brooke, who was looking away, avoiding eye contact with all of them.

"OK, I've known for a couple weeks." She shrugged her shoulders and put her straw between her lips innocently.

"Brooke!" Lucas exclaimed.

"She's my best friend, Luke. I want her here. Tree Hill isn't just about you. This is our home. You can't blame her for wanting to be here." They each looked at Lucas sympathetically; clearly they all agreed with Brooke. He closed his eyes for a moment and nodded.

"OK." It was all he could think to say. He still didn't feel like it was OK but could see their point. And he wasn't going to let her think she still affected him, even though she did. He decided to stay.

Peyton glanced over at her friends interacting with him. He looked incredible. The two years since she'd last seen him had been good to him. He'd abandoned his tee shirts for a crisp button down and his smoothly shaven face for a day's growth of stubble. He looked like a man. She finished her drink and gestured to the bartender for another

"Old friends, huh?" He nodded towards the table.

"Yeah," she said, looking at him.

"That Brooke. She's uhh..."

"My best friend," she interrupted with a smile, watching the Brunette throw her head back in laughter.

"You're Peyton?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "How'd you know?"

"She talks about you all the time. They all do." She laughed and smiled at the thought. "So you visiting for a bit?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I just moved back."

"Oh." He looked surprised, and glanced at Lucas. Clearly, he knew about the situation.

"God, I wish Brooke could keep her mouth shut sometimes."

"Actually, he told me himself. Over about 10 shots of JD." He said, leaning down to bring his eyes to hers. "You've got to face him at some point. It's a small town."

She inhaled deeply at the thought. He topped up her glass again and winked at her as she hopped off the barstool and walked towards her friends. They were sharing a laugh about something, and suddenly it dawned on her that she was the outsider. They'd all been together for the last two years, and she'd been on her own. She felt very aware of herself and uncomfortable in the dress she was wearing.

"_God, she's gorgeous,_" he thought as she walked towards the table. It made him mad that he was still so drawn to her, so he turned away from her and started talking to Skills about their next practice with the Ravens. She overheard them agreeing that they wished they saw more of Whitey Durham at their games. She wedged herself between Haley and Brooke and the six of them stayed like that all night, joking and taking, without Peyton and Lucas ever acknowledging each others' presence.

"OK, it's late. We have to go rescue Jamie from crazy Nana Deb." Haley shoved the glass she'd been holding to the centre of the table. Nathan laughed and put an arm around her waist. They said their goodbyes and walked away from the table.

"Wow. A lot's changed. Who would have thought in high school that anyone would trust Deb Scott with a child?" Peyton said and they all chuckled. She hadn't been the one to make Lucas smile in two years, and it warmed her heart to think she still had the power to do so.

"I should get out of here too. We got practice tomorrow morning." Skills finished his beer and set the bottle on the table. "Yo, B. Davis, you think that fancy limo of yours could drop a brother off?"

"Sure, but if you try anything, I have a security detail that will make you very, very sorry." Peyton smiled at the obvious set up. Lucas hugged Brooke and told Skills he'd see him in the morning, and the two of them were left at the table alone.

The crowd had slimmed out and only about 20 people were left in the bar. They stood there in silence for about a minute, smiling awkwardly at one another and finishing their respective drinks.

"Refill?" she asked.

"Please." He nodded and she made her way back to the bar.

"Wow. Your friends suck," the bartender pointed out.

"I know, right?" She shook her head. "Another round, I guess."

"I'm Owen, by the way," he said, fixing their drinks.

"Nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand over the bar. "I might need some new friends."

He placed the two glasses on the bar, laughing. "Go on. You've had enough of these that he should be easy to talk to."

"You'd think." She smiled at Owen and walked back to Lucas and set the drink in front of him.

"I can't believe you still drink those." He laughed and pointed to her drink.

"What? Gin, 7-Up, and OJ is a classic combo!"

"No. It doesn't even have a name. Classics have names." He sipped his scotch and soda and shook his head. They stood in silence again.

"OK, Luke, this is weird." She looked at him, not sure what to expect.

"Well, what'd you think was going to happen, Peyton?" He shifted his body so it was square to hers.

"What...?"

"I didn't even know you were coming back. It's just...It's all a little sudden." He raised his glass to his lips.

"Well, I'm back." She bit her lip and looked down. She felt ridiculous. She felt like she was in 8th grade and her friends had passed him a note asking if he liked her and to check 'yes' or 'no'.

"I see that," he said, looking right into her eyes. He finished his drink quickly, and leaned in closer to her. She felt her heart flutter. "You look good, Peyton."

With that, he walked away. Part of her wanted to run after him, part of her wanted to scream. She needed him, but she knew it would take time to get him back, if it was even possible to do so. She finished the last of her drink and made her way out of the bar. Brooke had driven her, so it looked like she was walking home. She cursed the heels she was wearing. Walking home, in a dress and heels at 1 a.m. after about 7 drinks. She laughed out loud at the thought. If she'd done this in L.A, Lord knows what would have happened to her. In Tree Hill, she felt perfectly safe.

She was about two blocks from Tric when a car pulled up next to her. She turned and recognized the car immediately.

"Get in." She hesitated for a moment, then thought of walking the rest of the way to her house, and how her feet would feel if she did so. She sighed deeply, and opened the door to climb in the car.

She closed the door and sat next to him, resisting the urge to place her hand on top of his on the gear shift. She played with the hem of her dress.

"You could have asked for a ride." He didn't take his eyes off the road.

"I didn't know you drove." She was still looking down at her hands, tracing the fabric of the emerald green dress she'd been given the day before.

It only took a few minutes before they pulled up in front of her house. His head was flooded with memories of all the times he'd driven here before and walked right to her room without even knocking, or the time he grabbed a rake to use as a weapon when the door was open one day, only to find her dad in the kitchen. He still hadn't lived that down. This town was full of so many memories of the two of them, he wondered how he'd ever stayed here, and thought she might have been the smart one, having left.

"Well, thanks for the ride," she said, looking over at him.

"Peyton, this isn't going to be like before." Her face changed when he spoke. "I mean, I hope you didn't come back for me."

Her heart broke. It shattered into a million pieces and she felt as though she'd been shot. Again. She knew she had to tell him that's not why she came back, even thought it was.

"No. I just got the house, that's all." She stepped out of the car, holding back tears, and stumbled at the curb. She wanted to blame the heels, but she knew it was the alcohol. He hurried out of the car to help her up the steps to her house.

"Lucas, I don't need you to help me." She'd been holding back emotions all night, but she couldn't keep the effects of the alcohol at bay.

"You just about fell on your face. I'm helping." He grabbed her keys from her hand and unlocked her front door for her.

"Thanks again," she said, as he handed her keys back to her.

"It's nothing." He looked into her eyes to let her know that it really was nothing. It was just a guy helping a girl who needed it. Not Lucas Scott helping Peyton Sawyer, the girl he loved. "Here, let me help you up the stairs."

"Luke, I can manage." She didn't want him to see that her room was unchanged. Photos of them taken over the years still sat amongst her record collection.

He looked at her skeptically and gestured for her to start making her way to her room. He began to follow behind her and absentmindedly studied her legs, his eyes making their way to the faded scar near her left knee. They reached the top of the staircase and her voice pulled him from the memory.

"See, I'm fine." He was still walking behind her though, until he was leaning against the door frame of her room. She turned to face him, inwardly cringing at what his eyes were taking in.

"Wow." He said, noticing everything in the same place it had been two years ago. His eyes made their way to the closet door, where he read the words they'd carved after their senior year of high school, convincing each other that, though he was leaving, nothing was going to change. _Peyton and Lucas, True Love Always_.

"It's late, Luke." She set her purse on her bed.

"Yeah," he agreed. He took one last look around the room and at her. "I missed the red bedroom." He took a step back to leave.

_'Just not the girl in it,'_ she thought. She closed the door before he'd even made it to the top of the staircase. He locked and closed her front door and turned to walked back to his car, more confused than ever, but still knowing that he didn't want to let her break his heart again. He couldn't go through it all.

She heard his car drive away before she stripped the dress off, and removed everything else from her body. Bra, underwear, jewelry, the bobby pins holding her hair in place, and crawled into her bed. She wanted to forget the evening, and the idea that the Lucas who was here now, was not the Lucas she had left behind.


	6. Chapter 6

Peyton woke up the next day with a hangover, a foggy memory, and a Brooke on her bed.

"Hey. I thought you could use this." Brooke handed Peyton a coffee. "Are you naked!?" Brooke looked at Peyton's bare shoulders and got a cheeky smile on her face. "Tell me you aren't alone!" She jumped off the bed and looked in the closet and bathroom as Peyton laughed.

"Yes, naked. Yes, alone. Sorry to disappoint." She took a sip of the coffee.

"So tell me everything that happened after I left." Brooke threw Peyton a robe and sat on the bed with her back to her friend while she covered up.

"You mean, tell you everything that happened after you and Skills hung me out to dry?"

"Yes, exactly." Knowing her friend was now presentable, she turned to face her again.

"Well, I got use a each another drink, which made me more drunk and him more attractive, we sat awkwardly, he told me I looked good, and he left."

"Boring, though you did look fabulous. Tell me you ran after him." Brooke looked hopeful.

"No. I started to walk home, but he stopped and gave me a ride." She looked to her friend, who was now suppressing a giddy smile. "Then he told me that it wasn't going to be like before and that he really hoped I didn't come back for him. So I had to lie and say I didn't."

"Ouch. Sorry, buddy." Brooke winced and put her hand on top of Peyton's.

"Yup. So, I think I'll stay in my house for...oh...ever, after that humiliation." She finished her coffee and placed the empty cup on her night stand.

"No. No, that's not how this works. You aren't going to go into a weird, emo, depressed funk about this. You need a job and a new wardrobe."

"Wait, what's wrong with my wardrobe?" She looked to her closet, with clothes strewn around. Her suitcases were still not unpacked.

"It doesn't have enough Clothes Over Bros." Brooke flashed a devlish grin and told Peyton to shower and get changed. They were going to the store to pick out some basics.

--

Two weeks went by and Peyton hadn't seen or heard from Lucas. Surprisingly, it was OK with her. She had done it for two years, and felt so foolish after the night they went to Tric, she was alright giving it time before seeing him again. Part of her hoped that he'd forgotten about that night completely, but part of her hoped that he realized that she still needed him to save her.

She'd parked her car down the street and was walking to Brooke's boutique when she heard her name called behind her. She spun around to see Mouth.

"Mouth! Hi!" She stopped to pull him into a hug.

"Hey, Peyton. How have I not seen you yet? Brooke's your best friend, Millicent is my girlfriend..." A wide smile came upon his face as he mentioned his girlfriend's name.

"So I've heard. Nice work, Mouth! She seems really great." The two of them started walking towards the store. They both saw Lucas across the street walking into the book store. He didn't see them.

"So, how bad is it?" Mouth asked.

"How bad is what?" She turned to him.

"You and him." He gestured to the shop across the street.

"We've only spoken once. But it's bad." She looked to the pavement.

"Well, you've just got to let him do his thing. It's Luke, you know? He doesn't really listen to anyone, except his mom." Mouth looked to her as he opened the door to the boutique for her. "Hey, you have her number?" he joked and she playfully punched his arm.

The four of them - Peyton, Brooke, Mouth, and Millicent - stood in at the counter in the boutique and joked and laughed. The door swung open and Lucas scanned his friends. Had he known Peyton was going to be there, he wouldn't have gone inside.

"Hey guys," he addressed.

"Hey Luke," Mouth replied.

Lucas turned to Peyton and nodded in her direction. She looked to the ground, then turned to Brooke.

"Hey, I have to go. I have that thing I had to do today, remember? Good to see you guys."

"Bye, Peyton," Millicent said, as the blonde made her way to the door and left the shop. They all knew there was nothing she had to do.

Mouth and Brooke looked at each other, then at Lucas.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," Mouth replied.

"No, you just looked at me like I'm the worst guy in the world. What?" He leaned an elbow on the counter.

"It's just..." Brooke paused, "She's been here over two weeks and she's totally miserable because you have barely acknowledged she even exists."

"What do you want me to do, Brooke? Take her for coffee and reminisce over old times?" He said angrily.

"Yeah, if that gets you to talk to her." Mouth chimed in.

"I can't do that," he shook his head.

"Why not?" Millicent asked, to everyone's surprise. "I mean, I know I don't know you very well and I really don't know her, but maybe reminiscing is what you need."

"What I need is for her to not have hurt me in the first place." He looked to his hands and checked his watch.

"Luke, will you just go talk to her? Someone needs to save her from thinking this was all a mistake." Mouth was looking at his friend with sincerity in his eyes.

Save her. It was all he needed to hear to make him go see her. He'd always been the one to save her, and he'd loved it. The whole time she was away, he worried about who would be the one to help her when she needed it. He started hoping someone had filled that role, because he knew she always needed someone to do it, no matter how much she didn't want to admit that.

He drove to the River Court to clear his head and think about what he was going to say to her when he went to see her, but he was shocked to see her car parked there. He knew he couldn't turn around now. His vintage Mustang wasn't exactly quiet and he figured that the River Court was as good a place as any to talk to her.

"Hey," he said as he walked up behind her.

"Hi. I was kind of hoping that wasn't you." She didn't look at him, but his face showed surprise as he sat next to her on the picnic table.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm just embarrassed," she started, still not making eye contact. "The night we all went to Tric...I just..."

"I know," he said.

"You do?" She finally turned to him.

"That wasn't an easy night. I know you were just using the drinks to make it seem easier."

"Well, I was trying." She laughed at how silly the notion was.

They sat, watching a boat pass. Neither had said a word for about 10 minutes. She thought - this is how they used to be. They used to be able to sit without words for hours - literally, hours - before one of them broke the silence. It's not that they ever ran out of things to talk about, they could talk about anything, or nothing at all. They were just comfortable enough with each other to know that silence wasn't always a bad thing.

"I lied," she finally said.

"What?" he turned to her.

"I said I didn't come back for you, but I did." She looked at her hands again. She'd come to know them well, using them as distraction in these awkward moments.

"I knew it." He stood, shaking his head in furor.

"Luke, did you honestly think I'd come back to Tree Hill for anything other than you?" She looked at him, pacing in front of her.

"Why?! Why now?" He wanted to know.

"I read the book." She said it softly. It felt like too important a statement to shout.

He just laughed. "Wow," he started. "Two years and you finally mention it."

"No! I just found it!" She stood now too, trying to stop him from walking back and forth, wearing a path in the grass.

"So? That's supposed to change things?" He asked. "So you read my novel. So what."

"No, Luke. Not so what. It's really great, and I'm not just saying that because I'm in it. It's wonderful."

"Peyton, I don't need this." He stopped directly in front of her. "I don't need you back here, saying this, and reminding me of those words that I wrote and how I felt when I wrote them. You finished that story when you left for L.A."

"But I'm back, Luke. And I want you. And I'm not going anywhere."

"That's what I thought last time," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" She tried to read his face, but there was not discernible expression there. Eyes that had held so much life and hope and love were now staring at her, empty.

"I didn't think you were going anywhere the last time." He looked to the ground and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. All she wanted to do was hold them and try to make him believe her. She just didn't know how. She was at a loss for words to say to this broken man standing in front of her, afraid to look at her face. She said the only thing she thought would soften his resolve.

"I love you." He looked up and met her eyes again and she finally saw an emotion she had only seen once before- the night she left. It was a mix of sadness and frustration and desperation. He said nothing, just stared. It was almost like he wanted her to see into him, to see the pain he had tried so hard to hide for the last two years.

"Luke, say something, please." What she wanted to say was '_say you love me too_.' She would have given anything to hear him say those words again.

He shook his head and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Peyton, you didn't want to marry me. You walked away." There wasn't anger in his voice. It was defeat. As though realizing she didn't want to marry him was bigger than any loss he'd felt. The truth is, it was.

"You never asked!" She was taken aback by his statement. She didn't know where it had come from.

"I had the ring!" A look of surprise came to her face as he raised his voice. "Bet you didn't know that. We planned out our lives. Together. I wish I'd known that the whole time, you were mapping out your own route. The one that took you away from me."

"Luke, I didn't want to go, but I had to. I thought you would understand that. You said forever. You said you'd love me forever." She stopped to choke back the lump forming in her throat.

"Dammit, Peyton!" He walked closer to her and pointed a finger in her direction. "You walked away. You said forever too, remember? Forever. You and me. Together. And you walked away."

"Stop saying that!" She closed her eyes tight in an attempt to stop the tears she knew would fall anyway.

"Why didn't you ask me to come with you?"

"I knew you wouldn't have." Her tone was calm, like it was something she had convinced herself of years ago and was simply stating the fact.

He took a step closer to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. It wasn't a violent touch, but it was filled with hurt and desperation. He looked directly at her with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. "Peyton, I would have done _any_thing for you." He let her go and walked away.

The moment she saw him drive away, she broke down and tears fell down her face in a stream of emotions. The want and need and love and pain she had felt since the last time they were together poured out of her. She felt those things more than ever now. Now that she was so close to him and had to face the fact that he just didn't want her.

He watched her crying in his rear view mirror as his tires pulled him away, and part of him - a big part - wanted to run back to her. To take her in his arms like he used to and heal her just by being there. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't do it because she hadn't done it for him when he was hurting. When tears stung his cheeks after she left him living an empty life without her, she didn't try to stop them falling.

--

Peyton stayed at the River Court well into the evening, watching boats pass on the river and cars passing and people walking on the other side of it. She was shivering now, and draped the blanket she kept in the trunk of her car over her shoulders.

"You know, he doesn't come here as often as he used to." The picnic table creaked as Nathan sat next to her and bumped his shoulder against hers.

"What?" she asked.

"If you're looking for him, I mean. He doesn't live here anymore."

"He was here today." Her voice was softened with defeat. She'd been replaying their conversation in her head for hours.

"Oh." Nathan said, looking at her. "And?"

"And he yelled. A lot. And basically told me that he hates me for what I did to him." Her eyes met Nathan's. "I can't really blame him. I hate myself for it."

"Peyton, come on. Don't do that."

"Don't do what? I'm the one who made him this way!" She looked at her hands. "He's different."

"You're different too." She turned her head to face him again in confusion. "You are. You're sad and lonely and...starting to look pathetic."

"Thanks, Nathan." She shook her head. She knew Nathan was never one to deliver motivational speeches.

"No, I mean that you've both been changed by the same thing and it's got to stop at some point."

"So what do I do now?" she asked after a few moments.

"Something." He threw an arm around her. "Anything other than pouting about it." She let out a laugh and he pulled her closer. "I mean, it's just Lucas. I can't imagine what you were like when you let _me_ get away."

She elbowed him in the side. "Shut up, Nate."

"No! I'm serious! You probably still cry over it. I mean, look at me." He stood up and pointed to his torso, causing her to laugh again. "Come on, Sawyer. Drive me home to my wife."

The two walked towards her car, and she felt relieved somehow. Even though so many things had changed about all of their lives, she found comfort knowing she still had these great friends who would help her get through this. She knew Nathan was right - she had to do something. Something that didn't involve her feelings for Lucas.


	7. Chapter 7

"Peyton, what on earth are you doing?!" Haley and Brooke walked into Peyton's kitchen to find their friend wielding a crow bar.

"Oh. Hey guys." She rested the tool against a cupboard door. "I'm renovating!"

"Renovating." Brooke looked at Peyton, who was covered in dust and paint splatters. "You know, there are people you can hire to do all this for you?"

"Yeah, but then I don't get to smash ceramic tiles to pieces." Peyton started to pull her hair into a messy pony tail as Haley surveyed the damage.

"Peyton, you can't do this yourself. I have a guy." Brooke and Peyton looked at each other, then at Haley, who was searching through her purse.

"You have a guy?" Brooke inquired.

"Come on, he just re-did our bathroom! Here. I have his card." Haley passed the off-white paper to Peyton.

"Guys, I can do this. How hard can it be?" Peyton asked the two girls, as they looked at her like she was crazy.

"Well, there's the plumbing and electrical..." Brooke started, then Haley interrupted.

"Not to mention grouting, anchoring cabinets, heavy lifting..." Haley was counting the tasks on her fingers.

"OK, fine, I'll call the guy!" Peyton held up the card between her fingers. "Wait, Tim Smith!?" She shot Haley a look. "Your guy is Tim Smith!?"

"Look, he's surprisingly competent." Haley's statement caused Brooke to laugh out loud. "Stop laughing! You've seen our bathroom."

"I'll call him." Peyton rolled her eyes.

"And shower?" Brooke asked. "Because, sweetie, this look isn't really working for you."

"Oh my God, Brooke. Then you can call, and I'll shower. I know you and Tim always had a little thing going on." Peyton shot her friend a suggestive look and a wink.

"OK. First of all, gross. Second of all, get your skinny butt in the shower before I beat you with this phone."

Peyton ran out of the room and up stairs and left her two friends in her semi-demolished kitchen.

"So, this is like, one of those weird things she does to distract herself from the reality of what's going on, right?" Haley asked Brooke.

"Oh yeah. Definitely." Brooke replied, not missing a beat, while dialing the phone.

--

Peyton returned a half hour later, fully clothed in jeans and a Clothes Over Bros tank top, with her hair down in a loose wave.

"So much better!" Brooke squealed.

"Glad you approve, Brooke. It's what I aim for," Peyton said sarcastically and looked at Haley, who was suppressing a laugh.

"So, listen," Brooke started. "Tim says that it's best if you stay somewhere else for a few days while he gets everything done. He thinks he can finish in about a week."

"Oh." Peyton sat cross-legged on the couch facing Brooke. "Are you sure this isn't just one of Tim's creepy plans to push two girls together?"

"Well, sorry, but you can't stay with me. Momzilla is in town and she still thinks you are a bad influence." Brooke shrugged her shoulders and the three girls laughed. They all knew that Brooke's only influence - bad or otherwise - was herself.

"You can come stay with us," Haley said. "We have the spare room and Jamie will love having you around."

"Thanks, Hales." Peyton nodded at her friend in appreciation. "So, why did you guys come over, anyway?"

"We came to take you to lunch and get you the hell out of the house." Brooke stood and Haley followed her.

--

Peyton had been at Haley and Nathan's for two weeks and she felt a little guilty. She should have known that Tim's estimate of how long the renovations would take would be way off. But the truth is, Haley loved the help and Peyton was great with Jamie. It was nice to know she could leave her son with someone she trusted while she was at work, and know he was going to be OK.

She awoke one morning to hear the Scott family joking and laughing in the kitchen. When she heard the door open and close, she assumed Nathan had left, so she walked out of her bedroom and ventured down the stairs. She was still in her night shirt and a tiny pair of shorts.

"Hey Haley," she said, walking into the kitchen. Then she saw him out of the corner of her eye, sitting between Nathan and Jamie at the kitchen counter. "Oh. Hi." She fidgeted with her shirt, trying to cover herself up. He just nodded at her subtly.

"Aunt Peyton!!" Jamie jumped off his stool and ran to hug her. She knelt down to wrap her arms around the little boy. Lucas just watched her interact with his nephew. A slight smirk crept to his lips as he watched Jamie twirl his finger in her messy hair. Haley noticed the look on his face and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hey Jamie, why don't you and daddy come outside and show me those plays you've been working on?" Nathan stirred in his seat. He knew his wife could sense when people needed to be alone, but he just didn't feel that this was one of those times.

"OK! I'll get my ball!" Jamie ran out of the room and Haley followed. Nathan stood and patted his brother on the shoulder before following his wife and son.

"Why does everyone keep doing that?" Peyton asked no one in particular as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Doing what?" He asked.

"Pretending to have something to do so they can leave us alone." She stirred sugar into her mug.

"They think they're helping," he replied, deadpan.

"Right." She leaned against the counter, concealing her legs and trying to make herself feel more comfortable in front of him. He didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Look, that day at the River Court..." she started talking, but her voice trailed and she couldn't find the words to finish her thought.

"It's fine," he said, still not looking up from his mug.

"It's not fine, Lucas. We can't even have a civilized conversation." Her tone was steady. She just wanted him to stop and realize that things weren't OK.

"Well, you haven't tried very hard." His eyes finally met hers as he raised his voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, taken aback.

"It means that every time we're in the same space you try to talk about 'us'" He used finger quotes around the last word.

"I've been here a month, Luke, and we've spoken twice. What do you want me to talk about?! The weather? Basketball?" She raised her arms in defeat.

"You know what?" He stood from his chair. "Maybe we just shouldn't talk at all."

"Great, Luke. Just walk away." She immediately regretted her choice of words. Even more-so when he let out a breathy chuckle.

"Yup," he said, nodding. "Something you know a lot about." He started to walk out of the kitchen.

"Yes, Luke. I do know about walking away." He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

"You know what I walked away from to be here?" His expression didn't change as he waited for her to get to her point. "I was just offered a six figure salary, a corner office, and everything I thought I wanted. And I walked away."

He paused a moment before responding. "Why?"

"Because it wasn't _you_." She looked straight at him. He'd finally turned his body so his shoulders were square to her. "I worked for two years to get that offer. The day they told me, I went home to unpack boxes, because I knew I'd stay in L.A." She saw the confusion on his face. "Yeah, I still had things in boxes, because I didn't want to admit that that's where I belonged." She paused for him to say something, but he didn't say a word. "That's when I found your book, Luke, and it just reminded me that no matter what salary I earned, or what bands I discovered...none of it mattered if I didn't have you. None of it."

They stood there for a few moments before he could find the words to say.

"I wish you'd figured that out two years ago." He shook his head. Her arms went up again in frustration, and she brought her hands down and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You're right, Lucas. Maybe we just shouldn't talk, because whatever I say doesn't mean anything to you. Just forget it." Peyton turned and walked past him and started back up the stairs. He found himself watching her as she climbed each step, but pulled himself away and walked out the front door.

"Hey, what happened?" Haley asked. Nathan gave the ball to Jamie and walked towards his brother.

"What happened is that everyone needs to stop pushing so damn hard, OK?"

"Hey man, we're just trying to help." Nathan defended his wife's actions, even though he hadn't necessarily agreed with her.

"Well, stop trying!" Lucas rarely raised his voice to Haley, so it startled her to hear him so angry with her.

Haley looked over to Jamie who was still oblivious to the situation.

"She's here to stay, Luke. So either you avoid her altogether, or you learn to live with it. But she's one of my best friends and I'm not going to compromise that." Her tone was stern, but quiet - 100 school teacher.

"I never asked you to."

"So grow up!" Haley shouted. Nathan called Jamie to go inside so he wouldn't have to hear his mom and his uncle yelling.

"I shouldn't expect you to understand, Haley. You got married before you had to have your heart broken." Lucas spat out the words.

"Yes, Luke. I got lucky. I found Nathan before I had to go through all that." She grabbed him by the shoulders. "But that doesn't mean I don't know how hard this has been for you. And for her." He looked to the ground. "You just have to live with the hurt and eventually it won't be so hard."

--

Lucas walked away from where he and Haley stood, leaving her wondering if she'd just said all the wrong things. She opened the door to join her son and husband as they watched cartoons and joked on the couch.

Peyton hadn't come out of the bedroom since she slammed its door. Both Nathan and Haley knew better than to try to talk to her. They knew she had to be alone and that she'd talk when she was ready.

Later that afternoon, she emerged, fully clothed with her purse slung over her shoulder.

"Hey. Where are you going?" Haley asked.

"Out," she said, and closed the door behind her. Nathan and Haley exchanged a glance over Jamie's head. They knew nothing good was going to come of her leaving angry.

--

"Hey Owen," Peyton greeted the bartender as she sat on an empty barstool.

"Peyton. Let me guess: Gin, 7, and OJ?" He leaned on the bar looking at her.

"No. I need something stronger. Like whiskey."

"Ouch," he said, grabbing a shot glass and a bottle of Jack Daniels. "Another run in with Lucas?"

"Yup." She paused to drain the glass and signaled for a refill. "There's nothing I can say to him to change his mind about me."

"I'm sorry." He poured another drink for her and left to serve some other patrons.

"Yo, P. Sawyer." Skills sat down next to her. "You want some company?"

"Sure." She finished her second shot and Owen came back to pour another, and one for Skills. "What are you drowning?"

"You remember Tim Smith?" he started. "You know, that idiot from high school?"

"Yea, he was more Nathan's girlfriend than I ever was. Why?" she asked.

"You know him and Bevin got married, right?" He tipped back the shot glass.

"Skills. I had no idea. I'm sorry." She put a hand on his forearm.

"Worst part is, now they're back in town and I have to run into her every now and then." He paused to look at her. "It gets easier, Peyton."

"The alcohol helps." They both laughed and chatted over a couple more shots.

"Look, Peyton, try not to have too many more of those. I gotta go, so I won't be here to carry your skinny ass home." He stood up and threw an arm around her.

"OK, Skills," she chuckled. "I'll see you later."

Peyton stayed the rest of the night and talked with Owen as the crowd thinned out. He cut her off a couple drinks after he should have, and she was leaning forward with her head in her hands and her elbows on the bar. When Lucas walked in and saw her, he sighed and shook his head. He knew he couldn't just leave her there.

"Hey man," Owen said as he saw Lucas approaching. "Sorry. She had a couple too many."

"You could have stopped her. You're the one slinging the bottles." Lucas was angry at Owen for letting her get to that point.

"She can be very persuasive, man. Sorry." He felt badly now, as he watched Lucas slip onto the stool next to her.

"Peyton," he whispered as he placed a hand on her arm. She looked up at him, her green eyes blurry from too many drinks. "Come on, let me take you home." He put his arm around her waist and helped her put hers around his shoulder. He grabbed her purse off the counter and told Owen he'd settle her tab the next time he was in.

"You're always saving me," she said. She remembered the times she'd said those words before, and smiled at his response.

"Someone's got to." He remembered the first time he'd said those words like it was yesterday. He was leading her down the long staircase outside of Tric. She was doing OK and managing without too much help from him, but he knew that he'd been the reason she'd gotten drunk in the first place, so he felt responsible for getting her home safely.

"You're going to think I'm some sort of lush," she said as they approached his car.

"No, I don't." He unlocked the passenger side door. "Listen," he said, as he helped her into his car. He knelt next to the passenger seat and brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I don't want to wake Haley and Nathan. I'm going to take you to Brooke's."

"No, you can't. Her mom's still here." She was shaking her head in protest. "You know Victoria hates me."

He knew what he had to do. How bad could one night be? She'd have to stay at his place. There was no other option. They drove to his house and he tried to keep her awake long enough so he wouldn't have to carry her inside. He opened the door to his bedroom and the sight of it was almost enough to make her sober. It looked different, too. Long gone were the posters of his favourite basketball teams, and the mural of the River Court. It was painted grey, and everything was in its proper place. A small desk was set up with his laptop and a few pads of paper and a photo of him with Keith. She watched as he pulled back the sheets.

"You can sleep here." He gestured towards the bed. "I'll go to my mom's room."

"Lucas, thanks." She smiled at him and set her purse on the table next to his bed. She looked over at the desk again as he turned to walk out of the room. His hand was on the door knob, preparing to shut the door behind him, when she said something that made him stop in his tracks. "You need to finish your book."

He looked at her and sighed. "I want to. It's just hard."

"When has that ever stopped you before?" She was sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at him.

"I had my own personal cheerleader before." They chuckled together. He was reminded of the photos he kept hidden in his desk drawer. The ones of the two of them together, looking happy and in love. There was one still in its frame, of her in her cheerleading uniform and him in his basketball jersey, her sticking her tongue out at the camera, him staring at her with love in his eyes.

She wondered if her idea of what was happening was being skewed by the alcohol, but neither of them were yelling, and they seemed to be having an actual conversation.

"Peyton, I know you are back for good, and that's great for you, I guess, but I don't want this." His words hit her hard. "I don't want you to be around here and making me feel confused about how I've felt for the last two years. Hating you is easier than missing you."

Hate. Did he hate her? Even as he said the words, he knew they weren't true, but he knew they would hurt her enough to keep her away from him until he could figure out what he wanted.

"Well at least you don't have to miss me any more." She tried to joke to keep from falling apart.

"No, I don't. But while you were off in L.A. meeting new guys and living some crazy Hollywood life, I was here. I was here missing you. So if I stop missing you, it's not because you're back, it's because I don't want to do it anymore."

He stood with his head down and his arms crossed, guarding his heart from her and the pain he knew she was capable of causing. She looked down as well, wanting to avoid breaking down. She knew that if she looked at his face, she'd be reminded of all the things she didn't have.

"There hasn't been anyone," she finally said quietly.

"What?" he asked, though he knew what she meant.

"There hasn't been anyone since you, Lucas." She stood now and made her way closer to him. "No one."

"Me neither," he said quietly. He regretted it immediately. He'd never wanted her to know that he had taken two years trying to get over her, and that he still wasn't. He was stopped mid-thought when her lips pressed against his. He found himself kissing her back, and all the longing and the want he'd felt for her disappeared. She still tasted the same. But he pulled away.

"Go to sleep, Peyton." He turned and closed the door behind him, leaving her standing in the room she'd spent countless hours in, with him. She didn't know whether to feel hope or disappointment, so she felt a bit of both. She fell asleep easily, and when she woke at dawn, she made his bed and left, but not before leaving something behind for him.

When he woke up, he walked to his room to get his clothes before practice. He lightly knocked on the door, and when he didn't hear a response, he figured she was still asleep. He opened the door softly and peered inside, only to find his bed empty, save for a tattered stack of papers with a red cover. He recognized it instantly, but there was a new Post-it on the cover, with her unmistakable handwriting on it.

"_You__ decide how this ends._" He picked up the book to hold it for the first time in over two years, and a letter felt out from between the pages.

_Luke, You might not see me for a while. I'm going to give you the space you've asked for. But if you need anything at all from me, you know where I am. And if you're having trouble finishing this book, I want you to know that your art matters. It's what got me here. Love, Peyton_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who've read and reviewed! I really appreciate it. I have most of the story already written, but I'm not sure how long it will be- 12 chaps at least!

So keep reading and I love your feedback, so don't be shy!

**--**

"Look, Haley, I know that you want them to work it out, but you know him." Nathan was pouring coffee while waiting for his bread to toast. "You can't push him."

"I'm not pushing, Nathan, I'm trying to help." Haley took the mug from him and he stood across from her.

"I don't think ambushing him is going to help."

"They need to talk this out. I don't know why he can't just admit he's still in love with her." She took a sip of her coffee and unconsciously rubbed her wedding ring with her thumb. Nathan took notice, and the subtle act brought a smile to his face - it always did.

"He knows. He just needs some time."

"So, Peyton didn't come home last night." Haley had that look in her eyes that told him she was scheming.

"No, she didn't."

"Well, where do you think she stayed?" Haley looked at her husband and raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know. Her car? A bar top?" He was peeling an orange and threw a stray piece of rind at her.

"Maybe she stayed at Luke's?"

"Yea, Haley. Like that would happen. It's not three years ago." Nathan looked at his wife skeptically as the doorbell rang. They hadn't yet given Peyton the key to the front door. But when Haley unlocked and opened the door, she was still shocked to see Peyton standing on her welcome mat.

"Sorry, Mom. I know I should have called." Peyton joked as she walked through the door of the Scott household.

"The only thing you'll have to be sorry about is not telling me where the hell you were!" Haley joked. She wanted the gossip on her best friend's evening.

"Well, I went to Tric and had a little - OK, a lot - too much to drink." By now the two had joined Nathan in the kitchen and he'd handed her a cup of coffee. "Then Lucas came by and offered me his bed." The two Scotts looked at her with hope in their eyes. "Where I slept alone and got the hell out of there before he woke up."

"Peyton!" Haley shouted at her. "You just left? Without even saying anything? Come on. Tell me there was more."

Peyton replayed their conversation - and kiss - again in her head, as she'd done a hundred times in the past couple hours. She'd gone back to Tric to get her car, and driven around the town in a haze. She knew she had to let him go to get him back.

"No. Nothing more." She lied, though she still felt their kiss on her lips. She looked over at Nathan and set down her coffee cup. She walked up to her room and packed her things. Tim had called her just before she arrived at Nathan and Haley's, telling her that her kitchen was completed and she could move back home. When she went back downstairs, Nathan looked at her bags and smiled.

"Either Tim finally finished, or you're skipping town." He laughed. "Either is completely possible, knowing you."

"Ha, ha," she replied sarcastically. "I can move home."

"But I want you to stay here!" Jamie flew towards her with his arms open, and wrapped them around her legs. She reached down and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Me too, Peyton." Haley was laughing as she made her way over to them and pried her son off her friend.

"I'm going to miss you, little man."

"I'm going to miss having another girl in the house." Haley put her arms around Peyton.

"Me too," Nathan teased and both women hit him, making them all laugh.

"You don't have to get all sentimental, Hales, You'll probably see me tomorrow!" She picked up her bag and said a final goodbye and thank you to her friends who'd been so good to her for as long as she could remember. She knew they wouldn't realize it, but she was thanking them for everything they'd done since she'd known them.

--

Peyton walked through the door of her house, afraid of what she might find in her kitchen. She had hoped Tim's contracting skills were more impressive than the 'skills' he'd shown in high school. She tentatively made her way through the door and was more than shocked at what she saw. The kitchen looked exactly like she'd ask him to make it. It matched the rest of the house, yet was slightly more modern. She felt she could really spend time there, cooking and reading and entertaining. If this house hadn't felt completely like her home before, it certainly did now.

She climbed the stairs to her room, sat at her desk, and grabbed a sketch pad. She began drawing memories of the weeks before. The background was red, with a bed in the centre. After a while, she grew tired of the silence, and began looking through her record collection for something to listen to. She landed upon one of her favourite albums, and pulled the vinyl out of its sleeve. An envelope landed on the floor, and she was hoping it didn't reveal any other long lost siblings.

Her father left a check for a large sum. Next to the album was a business plan she had written years earlier. There was a note attached to it that simply said _"You can do this. You should do this."_

--

Brooke had her hands in soapy dishwater when someone knocked on her door. She shouted for whoever it was to come in.

"Wow. Big shot Brooke Davis has to do her own dishes, just like the rest of us."

"Yes, Lucas. I do my own laundry too. Shocking, I know." She flung a handful of bubbles in his direction as he laughed.

"Hi, Brooke." He sat on a stool at her counter as she dried her hands on a dishtowel.

"Hi, Luke." She sat next to him. "What brings you by?"

"Have you talked to Peyton today?" he asked.

"She called me earlier to tell me her kitchen is done. I'm gonna stop by later. Why?" She wondered why all of a sudden he was interested in hearing about Peyton.

"Oh." He just nodded. Clearly Peyton hadn't divulged any details.

"What's going on, Luke?" Brooke asked.

"She obviously didn't tell you."

"Tell me what? You're scaring me." Brooke was growing impatient, and beginning to worry about both her friends.

"No, no. Nothing to be scared about." He laughed at how easy it was for her to worry.

"Then _what_?" She smiled at him once she was convinced nothing bad had happened.

"We kissed last night."

"Luke! That's great!" she exclaimed. "Right?"

"I don't know. I kind of blew her off and she left this morning before I could talk to her."

"Wait, left? She stayed over?!" Brooke was downright giddy now.

"Yes, Brooke, she slept in my bed. But I wasn't in it."

"I can't believe she didn't tell me any of this." And why hadn't she, Brooke wondered. "OK, Luke, you know I've been really supportive of you in your whole 'I'm going to pretend that I'm not in love with her even though I've not so secretly pined over her since the 8th grade' thing," he sighed and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "But you've really got to just figure it out already. You've spent the last two years wanting her, and now that she's back, you're ignoring her? Doesn't make much sense to me."

"It doesn't have to. It makes sense to me."

"How? You can finally have what you've wanted all along." She was shaking her head in disbelief of what he was saying.

"No. I can't. Because she _broke_ my _heart_, Brooke! Why would I give that back to her and let her do it again?" He looked at her and she could see the hurt in his eyes.

"I know." She didn't want to betray Peyton, but she knew she had to let Lucas know what she knew. "Ugh! OK. You know what I told Peyton when I was in L.A.?" He shook his head. "I told her that if she's still in love with you, maybe that's the way it should be."

"Maybe I'm just not in love with her." He knew it was a lie, but in that moment, he wanted desperately for there to be some truth to the statement.

Brooke didn't say anything for a moment, though she wanted terribly to call him on his lie. She found a way to gently remind him of what was inside his heart.

"Every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth...I was now and would always be in love with Peyton Sawyer." She quoted his book to him. He didn't even know she knew it existed, let alone that she'd read it.

"Brooke, how did you...?" his voice trailed.

"I was there when she found it. That's when she decided to come back."

"She told me that," he said.

"So, if you aren't going to accept that, I don't think I can talk to you about this any more." She stood from her spot next to him and folded her arms across her chest

"Brooke!" He stood up in protest.

"No, Lucas. You don't get to ask my opinion any more if you aren't going to take it." She was angry, but stayed calm. "I want you to be happy. But you have to _let_ yourself be happy."

They were interrupted by the phone. He was relieved to hear the sound, as he didn't know how to respond to what she'd just said. Brooke hung up and told him that Peyton asked her over, and that he should take some time to figure out what he wanted. He'd been trying to figure that out since Peyton came back to town, he just always ended up more confused.

Brooke and Lucas left her house together, but she drove to Peyton's, and he drove home. He was determined to read his book, cover to cover. He hadn't read it since he gave it to Peyton. He hadn't even tried to finish it. It was all too hard for him after she left. He was sure it would still be hard, but part of him wanted to relive those early years they were together and remember how things had been before all the hurt.

--

Haley walked into his bedroom as he reached the middle of the book. He closed the manuscript when he saw her, and placed it cover down beside him on the bed.

"Hey, Hales," he greeted his best friend as she stood, running a finger along the edge of his desk.

"Hey," she said, looking over at him, "So, what'd you do last night?"

"Well, judging by the tone of your voice, I don't have to tell you because you already talked to Peyton." He himself up on his elbows and Haley sat on the bed next to him.

"Yeah. It was nice of you, Luke."

"Nice of me?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, you know, offering your bed. How'd you feel when you woke up and she was gone?" She sensed there was more to the story now, judging by his reaction to the simple statement.

"Hales, I'm used to waking up without her."

"OK, Luke, I'm dying here. What the hell happened?" She finally broke down and asked for the complete story.

"Obviously she didn't tell you everything," he stated.

"Obviously." Haley threw up her arms in frustration.

"Well the abridged version is - I went to Tric to pick up some paperwork to send to my mom, and she was there, and not in any condition to get home on her own." He started the story as Haley listened intently. "I offered to drive her home but didn't want to wake you, so I brought her here. She told me to finish my novel, and..."

"What novel?" she interrupted.

"You want to hear about that, or about last night?" He asked, feigning annoyance.

"All of it! Finish this story, then tell me about the book." She was shaking her head at the secret her best friend had kept from her.

"So she told me to finish the novel. And I told her that I don't want to miss her any more and she told me there hasn't been anyone since me. Then she kissed me."

"She did not! How did she not tell me that!?" Haley was smiling at him now.

"Probably because I stopped it," he said. "Then I told her to go to sleep. Woke up and she was gone. She left this." He held up the tattered manuscript for Haley to see, and the letter Peyton had written him. She was completely shocked at the product. How had he completed an entire book - well, most of a book - and not told her.

"So she's giving you space. That's what you want, right?" She asked him skeptically, because she was having a hard time keeping up with what he wanted these days.

"Yeah, it's what I want." He smoothed out a wrinkle on his shirt.

"Are you sure?" she questioned.

"Yes." He looked at her before flopping back on his bed. "Just that kiss." He put his hands behind his head and looked over at Haley. "It took me back, Hales."

Haley reached a hand out and offered it to her best friend, who placed his in hers. They sat like that for a few minutes, each thinking about what Lucas had just admitted.

"So tell me about this book, Lucas."

--

"Oh. My. God!" Brooke screamed. "That is a _hell_ of a lot of zeros!"

"I know. I couldn't believe it." Peyton and Brooke were sitting in the blonde's incredible new kitchen.

"So he gave you this money to start your own label?" Brooke asked. "Can you even do that?"

"Yeah. I mean, it would be really hard, but I have some connections and I think I could really do this, Brooke." Peyton had a smile on her face that told her friend she was finally excited about something again.

"Wow. Oh my God I'm so happy for you!" Brooke reached out her hand and placed it on Peyton's.

"Well, don't be so happy just yet. I need an office I can afford before I can really put anything into motion."

"This is perfect!" Brooke shouted again, causing Peyton to flinch slightly at the unexpected decibel of her friend's voice. "There's a whole floor above the store. You can use it!"

"Brooke, I can't do that." Peyton was shaking her head at her friend's generous offer.

"No, it's fine. It's just empty right now! And we can figure it out as far as rent goes or something." Brooke leaned forward to look into her friend's eyes. "Peyton, I want to help you do this."

Peyton sighed loudly as a million thoughts ran through her head. She made a mental list of all the things she'd need to do to get a label off the ground, but something inside her told her she could do it. She was capable of making this happen.

"I'm going to have my own label." She looked at Brooke who threw her hands together and was smiling ear to ear. They both stood and threw their arms around each other.

"Wait! It needs a name." Brooke looked at her friend, who looked to her sketch book.

"Red Bedroom Records." They both smiled again and stood hugging in Peyton's kitchen. Everything she thought she needed in L.A. to do, she could do from here. The pieces were falling into place, finally, and she felt as though this was the person she was supposed to be. This is the life she was supposed to have.

She just needed him.

--

After explaining to Haley why he'd kept the novel a secret for years, she convinced him to let her read it. She was excited at the chance to take in the words her best friend had put together. Lucas was nervous. He knew Haley would be constructive and kind, but he was afraid she would tell him things he didn't want to hear. He worried she'd be critical of his voice, but he knew that he didn't want the book to sit unread. He wrote it so others could see his side of the experiences of his youth. He just hoped he'd represented those experiences honestly.

Haley curled up in her bed with a cup of tea on her night stand, the manuscript in her hands. She ran a hand over the cover, her heart full of pride and love for her friend and his accomplishment. She marveled at his revelations and his careful choice of words when explaining the people in his life. Nathan, Brooke, herself, and Peyton. They all played roles in his novel, and they were true to life. She just hadn't realized exactly how he felt about them until she read the way he described them.

It took her two days and several sittings to finish it. Nathan was fast asleep next to her in the bed they shared, and she had tears running down her face. She was moved. The novel was a piece of art. It was thoughtful and articulate and genuine. It was beautiful. It was Lucas. It was a love letter to his life, and to Peyton, and to the place they all grew up. If she hadn't been convinced of it beforehand, she knew after reading the book where his heart was.

Nathan stirred next to her as she wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue. Her bedside lamp was on, and he turned to face her.

"What's wrong, Hales," he asked, groggily.

"Nothing," she admitted. Nothing was wrong. Everything seemed right. "I love you."

Lucas had written about Haley and Nathan's beginnings from his own point of view, and she was reminded of all the reasons she was with this man. She dropped a kiss on his lips and switched the light off.

"I love you, too," he spoke, into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

The next month was spent picking paint colours and furniture and setting up a network of industry contacts on the east coast. Peyton still couldn't forget about Lucas, but she buried him under demos and paperwork. She'd started going to see new bands on weekends out of town. Somehow, she'd managed to keep all her friends, but avoid seeing him.

Lucas continued living his life as he'd done before she came back to town. He saw her car around, but never saw her. He joked with Haley, wondering if they'd worked out a schedule to ensure Peyton and he never had to see each other. He wanted to believe that the two of them could be in each others' company, but everything that had happened since she returned had told him that was unlikely.

It had been over a month since he'd seen her, and all he'd heard from his friends was how great she was doing with her new business, and how happy she was. He was proud of her for taking the leap and doing this for herself. He decided to stop by one day after practice to see her new office for himself.

"The place looks good." He strolled into the room, his voice and presence catching her off guard.

"Thanks," she said, looking up from her computer. His eyes glanced at all four walls, taking in the artwork that covered them. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked.

"Just came to check it out. This is great, Peyton."

"Thanks." Her reception was cold and guarded. He stood across from her with her desk separating them.

"Red Bedroom, huh?" He gestured towards the framed sketch that hung on the wall above her desk.

"Yea. Seemed fitting." He was pacing around the room again. "OK, is that it, Lucas, because I have a million things to do."

"Yeah, I guess that's it," he said angrily, and turned to leave. "I was just trying to be a decent guy."

The statement hit her hard and took a few moments for her to register.

"A decent guy?" she shouted, startling him. She stood from her chair. "The same decent guy who has repeatedly said he doesn't want to be with me? The same decent guy who wrote these _amazing_ words about me, then took them back? The same decent guy who pushed me away when we kissed for the first time in years?" He clenched his teeth and shook his head. "Luke, I've poured my heart out to you over and over again, and all you've done is make me feel terrible. That's not what a decent guy does."

Peyton was crying, with tears and makeup running down her face. She'd tried to keep herself composed in front of him, but that's what she'd been doing all along, and she couldn't do it any more. All the emotion she'd felt and tried so hard to suppress for the past couple months she'd been in Tree Hill came pouring out of her, all at once, and at the worst possible time.

"I've tried, Peyton." He was calm and defeated. He didn't want to argue with her anymore. And more than anything, he didn't want to see her cry, or be the one who made her cry.

"No. You accused me of not trying, while you hid behind your anger and your hurt. Which I get, OK? I was wrong." She leaned back against her desk. "But I gave you space. I gave you what you asked for, and you did nothing with it." She paused to wipe a tear away. "You were right. I think the smartest thing I have done since I got back is stop talking to you."

He just looked at her with a mixture of pain and sadness and disappointment in his eyes. He didn't want her to see that her words actually hurt him, so he turned around and started to walk out of her office.

"We need to forgive each other, Peyton. Even if we're just going to be friends."

He left and she leaned her head back. She didn't want to just be his friend.

--

Lucas flew down the stairs and into Brooke's boutique.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Brooke asked, walking out from behind the register.

"Not now, Brooke." He stormed out of the store and she was left confused.

About 20 minutes later, Peyton walked down the stairs with her jacket over her arm, rummaging through her purse for her keys.

"Peyton!" Brooke called after her. She could see her friend had been crying.

Peyton left the store without even acknowledging Brooke was there. She got in her car and slammed the door. She sat, keys in her hand, for a few minutes, too angry and hurt to even leave the parking space. She wiped her eyes once more and checked her face in the rear view before turning the key.

She drove the back roads of Tree Hill, listening to music and feeling the cool breeze, hoping somehow that wind was going to bring happiness her way.

--

Brooke burst into Lucas' bedroom with a scowl on her face, and he knew he wasn't going to like what came next.

"What the hell!?" She shouted at him as he lay on his bed.

"Brooke, please." He was too exhausted to argue with her.

"You have to tell me what the hell just happened." She tried to calm herself down. She sat at the foot of her bed, worried about both her friends. She'd gone to Peyton's first, but she wasn't there.

"I don't have to tell you anything." He looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. He did want to tell her. He wanted to confide in her. But the truth was, he was ashamed of how he'd acted toward Peyton. Since she'd come back, he'd been a person he didn't want to be, and he couldn't explain why.

Brooke stared at Lucas. She wanted to scream at him for making her best friend cry. She wanted to take him by the shoulders and shake him until he realized what everyone else saw - that he and Peyton were meant to be together.

"She called me on everything," he finally said. "She laid out all the things I've done and said since she's been back."

Brooke smiled sympathetically. Haley, Nathan, and herself had each tried to gently tell him he'd been acting like a jerk, but they were all careful with their words. Apparently he'd just needed to hear it from the source.

"I don't want to hurt her, Brooke."

"Well, then stop doing it!!" She was frustrated with him again.

"I..." he started, but she interrupted him.

"You know, we've all sat by for two years and watched you miss her and want her and _love_ her. Two years, Lucas! You wanted her back. Now she's here. And you're not doing anything about it."

"I don't know what to do!" He knew he was guarding his heart from her, and from the possibility of what she could bring him. It could be a love like they'd had before, or it could be more of the pain he'd felt since she left.

"You might try talking to her."

"I've tried that."

"Have you?" she asked, taking him by surprise. "As far as I know, you've just spat angry words and hurt at her. I get it, OK? I do. But you aren't happy, are you? It hasn't made you feel better."

He sighed and closed his eyes. She was right. It was clear Peyton wasn't going anywhere, so now he really had to figure out exactly what he wanted.

"I need to get out of here," he said finally.

"Want to go get some food, or..." Brooke offered before he interrupted.

"No. I mean I need to get out of town for a few days."

"Don't you have a game this Friday?" Brooke asked, worried.

"Skills and Nathan can handle it. I need to get away." He put his feet on the floor and turned to his closet.

"OK...?" She watched him rummaging through the top shelf until he pulled out an old familiar duffle bag. Blue with a faded _TH_ on the side.

"Don't worry, Brooke. I'll be fine." He began putting essential items in the bag.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe that's the point."

Brooke left his house just after she hugged him and watched his car drive away. He'd called Skills and Nathan to let them know he wouldn't be around for the game. Judging from the side of the conversation she could hear, they were both just as worried about him as she was. She didn't understand his sudden need for a road trip, but she knew Lucas, and if he said he needed something, then he needed it.

She let him drive away, and wondered when he'd be coming back. And who he'd be when he returned.

--

Peyton found herself walking along the beach, sand in her toes and a breeze blowing off the ocean. The sun was setting and she felt at peace with herself. She'd said what she wanted to say to Lucas, and now it was in his hands. She was relieved to not have to live with the angst and repressed emotions.

They had - all of them - spent so many hours at this beach that it was hard sometimes not to get caught up in the memories held here. But somehow, when she sat on the sand, none of those memories mattered. She felt a silence in the waves and in her soul.

Then her phone rang.

"Hey, Haley," she spoke playfully.

"Hey! Where are you?"

"I'm just sitting at the beach. Why? What's up?" Peyton watched as a handful of sand sifted through her fingers.

"Just wondered if you wanted to hang out. Nathan and Jamie are playing video games and mama needs a break." Peyton laughed at the thought. "I'm just driving right now. Want to meet somewhere?"

"Yeah, absolutely. How about my office? I can be there in about 20 minutes." Peyton stood and brushed the sand off her legs.

"Sure, I'll bring coffee." They hung up and Peyton walked back to her car. She drove into downtown Tree Hill as darkness set in around her. She saw Haley waiting by the side entrance up to her office, with two coffee cups in her hands.

"Aren't you scared, loitering around in the dark like that?" Peyton asked as she got out of her car.

"Scared of all these people?" Haley asked sarcastically. The two looked down the street and noticed they were the only ones around.

They climbed the stairs and sat in Peyton's empty office. Haley instinctively pushed play on the CD player and listened intently at the voice filling the room.

"This guy's really good, Peyton." The guitar melody and simple lyrics reminded Haley of a much less arrogant, and probably more talented, Chris Keller.

"Yeah, his name's Ben Wade. I think I'm going to sign him." Peyton handed Haley a photo of the singer.

"That's awesome, Peyton! He'll be your first," Haley said suggestively. The two laughed then sat listening to the music until the song ended.

"So listen, I just wanted to see what's going through your head these days," Haley finally said.

"Ah, yes. The Lucas question." Haley scrunched her nose when her friend mentioned his name. "Seems I can't do anything without someone asking me about him."

"I just haven't really talked to you about it lately, so I wanted to make sure you're OK."

"I'm OK." For the first time in a long time, she actually felt that was true.

"Really? Because Brooke said that you and him had it out today."

"Yeah, well, I needed that." Haley looked at her, confused. "I said all I needed to say. I'm OK with it. Whatever happens."

"But you love him, right?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, I love him," Peyton admitted, "and that's probably not going to change. But I think I can live with it."

"Wow," Haley said, nodding in admiration of her friend's strength.

"I mean, I've been doing it for two years, right?" Peyton attempted to joke, but they both knew it was the truth.

"Peyton?" Haley asked after a few moments.

"Yeah?" the blonde replied.

"Do you ever wonder if you made the right choice? Leaving?" She looked at Peyton, waiting for her response.

"Every day."

--

"Nathan, what the hell?" Haley burst through the front door of her home and into the kitchen, where Nathan was washing an apple in the sink. Her outburst took him off guard and he just stared at her, wondering what he'd done this time.

"Uhh..." he attempted.

"I just got a text from Lucas. It says _'Out of town for a few days. I'm fine. Call you later.'_" She held up her phone and watched as her husband read the words off the glowing screen.

"Yeah, he called here a little while ago." Nathan stood against the counter, a few feet away from his wife.

"What is going on with him?" she asked, with an aggravated tone.

"You really need to ask?" He bit into his apple with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Nathan, please. How can you be so calm about this? He just skipped town!"

"Hales, he didn't skip town," Nathan closed the space between them and took her in his arms.

"I'm just worried about him." She wrapper her arms around his back and breathed him in, comforted by the feel of his body against hers.

"You read the text. He's fine," Nathan joked. She looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Seriously, Hales. He'll be OK."

"You know, this is what Keith did. He left and didn't come back for 4 months," she spoke into his chest as his hand moved in circles on her back.

"And look how well that turned out for him," Nathan said. She looked up at him again.

"What?" she was shocked to hear him say those words.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, he got Karen. He lived the rest of his days with the woman he loved." He kissed her forehead. "Perspective, Hales."

"I never looked at it that way," she said, pulling away from him and leaning against the counter. "When did you get so smart?"

"It helps that I married a teacher," he joked and she swatted his arm as she walked past him.

"I'm going to bed," she announced.

"OK. I'll be up in a bit." He smiled as he watched her until she was out of sight. He'd never thought it possible to love someone more and more every day - he'd written that off as cliché. But it was true. He watched her grow and learn as a woman and a mother, and he loved everything about her. He loved that she'd given him a perfect son, and stayed by his side and supported him through every single event the two of them had encountered. And he loved how she looked out for Lucas. He was a part of their family. He was a part of her family before she'd ever gotten involved with Nathan.

The truth is, he was worried about his brother. He couldn't admit that to his wife - he had to be strong for her. But he imagined his life without Haley, the love of his life, to put himself in Lucas' shoes. Even the thought of it made his heart hurt.

He hoped Lucas was running towards answers, not just away from the questions.


	10. Chapter 10

Lucas drove all night. He got on the highway and drove in silence for hours, until he got tired. He stopped for coffee at a small roadside diner, somewhere just inside the North Carolina border. He made small talk with the waitress and tipped her with a 20 before heading back to his car. He pulled an unmarked CD from his glove compartment to fill the silence and keep him awake. It was a mix of vastly different songs and artists, but it somehow fit his mood and the entire point of this trip; no pre set rules, no road map, no real purpose other than to just _be_.

He saw the sign for the city and knew immediately that that's where he was headed.

He got to Nashville just as the sun was coming up, throwing a glare off the glass facade of the BellSouth building. He stopped for another coffee and his Mustang drew stares from who he assumed were locals. He looked at the vehicles parked in front and behind him and noticed his was the only one without a flatbed or caked on mud. The server in the small cafe greeted him with a "_mornin'_" before taking his order, and he felt that, though he knew differently, this town was smaller than his own.

He got back to his car to find an older gentleman admiring it, looking through the passenger side window.

"This your car, son?" the man asked.

"Yes, sir, it is." Lucas smiled politely and eyed the vehicle, as the man nodded his head.

"Pretty nice. Used to have myself one just like it." The man extended a hand and shook Lucas'. "I'm Chuck."

"Lucas. Nice to meet you."

"Yup. She's a beauty. Wish I still had mine." Chuck walked to the front of the car and admired it again from the new angle.

"What happened to it?"

"Got a divorce. Woman took the car. Wish I still had 'em both." Lucas chuckled and looked at the pavement. "Well, you take care of 'er."

"Will do." Lucas made his way to the driver's side.

"Take care of yourself, too, son." Chuck tipped his hat and Lucas nodded back towards him. He thought of Keith, and how happy he'd be to know his car could still generate this kind of reaction. He turned the key proudly, and with a whole new appreciation of the machine.

He drove the streets of Nashville, taking in the glitz and glitter and neon signs of a city born and raised on country music. It had never been his scene, but it somehow felt refreshing to be here, to see men tip their hats to women as they passed and be among people feeling the hurt they expressed in their songs.

He drove past the Ryman, thinking of all the amazing acts and pioneers who'd played there, and saw the goose bumps forming on his arm as his left hand clutched the wheel.

He drove alongside a park with lush green trees bordering it next to the road. Then he saw something that made him stop - a grey surface with two nets at either end. 4 guys were playing a pick up game. The sight was all too familiar. Same scene, different town. He parked his car and walked towards the court.

"Hey, man. You want in?" one of the boys shouted as he approached.

"Naw it's all good. You do your thing," Lucas looked towards a picnic table and thought about taking a seat there before looking back to the court. "OK, maybe one shot."

The ball was tossed to him and he shot from the 3-point line. It went in.

"Wait a second. You're Lucas Scott!" one of the other boys said.

"Uh, yeah." Lucas had a questioning look on his face.

"I went to Pontiac. I'd recognize that shot anywhere. That shot killed us at State, man." He made his way towards Lucas and extended a hand.

"You played for Pontiac?" Lucas asked, shaking his hand.

"I was JV that year, but yeah. We had your celebration photo in our locker room for inspiration. I'm Shane. This is Devon and Mark, and that's Chris." Luke shook each of their hands. "So what are you doing now?'

"I'm actually coaching the Ravens," he said with a laugh.

"No way! You still with that hot blonde cheerleader?" Shane asked. A confused look came to Lucas' face again. "I saw the kiss."

He'd been taken back to that night so many times over the years that it shouldn't have surprised him that that's where his mind went. Nathan had said the same words _"I saw the kiss." _That celebration would always be with him.

"Her and I are...it's complicated," Lucas found himself saying.

"Complicated? If I had a girl that hot, there wouldn't be anything complicated about it," Shane joked.

"Well, look, I'll let you get back to your game. Nice to meet you guys." He waved to them all and Shane tossed him the ball again.

"One more, man," he said. Lucas laughed, and made an identical shot to the one he'd made minutes earlier. "_Damn_, that's a nice shot. Good luck, Coach Scott."

Lucas laughed again. "Take it easy, guys."

He walked away from the court reliving that game in his head. He was so proud of the guys on that team. The year they had, it's ups and downs and tragedies, capped off by the win at State was just...a dream. Then it dawned on him - he would never be able to let that go. And why would he? He'd never be able to forget that shot and hugging his brother and kissing Peyton with confetti raining down on them. She was a part of it. She was a part of everything. No matter where he went or what he did, she'd always be there.

He started the engine and began to make his way down the street. He drove the entire city, not knowing where he was going until he got there. He'd forgotten the way completely, so it shocked him and made him wonder what force of nature had brought him to this place.

The apartment complex he'd moved Peyton into two and a half years ago hadn't changed at all from the outside. It was still the same as it had been the day he helped her carry her couch up the front steps, before collapsing with her onto it, and kissing her, tasting sweat on her body from the southern heat.

He sat in his car across the street from the building, watching a new couple move in. He witnessed the young girl playfully swat the boy she was with and Lucas wondered what the guy had said to make her do it. He watched as she went to the back of the moving truck, pulling a box close to her, before the boy walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck.

It was all too familiar. This was so similar to the scene that he'd been part of years ago. It all flashed before him and in his mind, he heard the words he'd said and the promise he'd made. _"It's you and me. Forever." _And he knew those words were still true.

"I have to go back," he said aloud to himself.

He turned the key again, and pulled away so fast his tires squealed. The couple turned to look at him, and he watched in the rear view as their faces turned from his moving vehicle back to each others'. He made his way back onto the highway as his second - or maybe third - wind kicked in. He'd been awake for a day and a half, but he wasn't tired yet. He needed to get back to Tree Hill.

He knew it wouldn't be easy to reconcile with Peyton. He knew they'd both hurt each other too much to just get back to where they'd been before she left right away. But he also knew that he'd take however much time was needed. If it took another two years, he'd do it if it meant they could be together again.

As he drove, he tried to find the words to say when he saw her again. He finally decided to just stop trying. It would come naturally with them - it always did. He knew that when he finally saw her, the words would be there.

After a few hours, his phone finally rang. He looked at his call display and was surprised she hadn't called him sooner.

"Hey, Hales," he said, suppressing a yawn.

"Are you OK? I thought you'd have checked in by now." She was pacing back and forth in Lucas' office, with Nathan and Skills sitting on either side of the desk, drawing out plays on the board between them.

"I'm fine, Haley. Just getting a little tired."

"Tired of what? Of me asking if you're OK?" she asked angrily, making him laugh.

"No! Tired because I've been awake since yesterday morning." He squinted to read the sign he was approaching.

"Lucas Eugene Scott, pull over that car right now." Nathan and Skills exchanged a look. Mrs. James Scott, school teacher, was scolding someone.

"Hales..."

"No. You pull over. Get a hotel room, and sleep." Nathan looked up at Haley with a questioning glance. "Where are you?"

"Umm," he said, reading the sign, "Dandridge, Tennessee."

"Tennessee?" she asked. Skills and Nathan looked at each other again.

"I'm on my way home, Hales," he said, exiting the highway. He did need to sleep. "Don't worry. I'm stopping to sleep."

"OK. Call me later," she demanded.

"I will." She closed her phone shut and put her hand on her forehead.

"What the hell's he doing in Tennessee?" Skills asked, knowing neither Nathan or Haley had an answer for him. The three of them exchanged glances before laughing at their friend, each hoping Lucas hadn't completely lost his mind.

"I don't know. I thought we were done with this - his taking off randomly," she stated, indignantly.

"You know, Hales, you're kind of hot when you go all 'school teacher' on someone," Nathan said, standing from his place at the desk and putting a hand on her hip.

"I'm going, _Coach Scott_, before I have to report you for sexual harassment in the workplace." Haley turned and left Skills and Nathan laughing.

--

"Peyton!" Brooke shouted, entering her friend's office.

"Brooke, you don't need to yell," Peyton replied, laughing, "I'm 10 feet away."

"I _do_ have to yell, because I have a _brilliant_ idea!" Brooke threw her hands together and stood in front of Peyton's desk, waiting for a response. "Don't you want to know what it is?"

"Yes, Brooke. What's up?" Peyton asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"Well, since Lucas is out of town..." she started, but was interrupted.

"Lucas is out of town?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah, he had something to do," Brooke lied, but she had no better explanation to give. "So since he's out of town, I think we should go to the Ravens game tomorrow!"

"Brooke," Peyton tilted her head, not sure if she wanted to sit in that gym again. "I don't know."

"Come on! He won't even be there. And Haley's coming, too. It'll be fun. Please, Peyton!" Brooke pouted playfully.

Peyton thought for a few moments. She wondered where Lucas had gone and if he was OK. She considered what Brooke was proposing and she decided that, just for one night, she wanted to be back in that gym. She wanted to feel the excitement of a game night, when nothing else mattered but the scoreboard.

"OK. Let's do it." She finally agreed.

"Really?" Brooke asked excitedly. "This is going to be so much fun!"

--

Peyton and Nathan had plans to meet for lunch, and he'd called this morning after practice to say he'd be at her office at 1:00 with take out. It was times like this she was even more happy to be home. Nathan had become one of her best friends, and she loved that she could talk to him about anything at all. She trusted him with her deepest secrets and feelings and fears, especially since she'd been back in Tree Hill.

"Hey, Sawyer," he spoke as he walked into the room.

"Wow, you shouldn't have dressed up for me." He was still in the grey sleeveless shirt and basketball shorts he'd worn to practice that morning. She teased him, but inwardly beamed that he still had a piece of his dream to hang on to. Basketball had been his entire life for so long, and she was glad he was getting it back.

He threw her a grin and began taking containers out of the brown paper bag he'd placed on her desk. Once the bag was empty, he crumpled it and shot it into the trash can and smiled when it went in. She thought she saw a shadow of the 16 year old boy she knew once upon a time. They began eating and she was about to put a spoonful of soup in her mouth, but stopped.

"Nathan, where is Lucas?" she asked. She didn't want to. She didn't want to be that girl. The girl who needed to know. But she was. And she did. He shot her a look. "Brooke told me he's out of town."

"He just had to go away for a few days," he said before taking a bite of his sandwich. He told himself he wasn't lying to her, but he knew that he was holding back.

"That's not what I asked." She stared at him.

"He's on his way back. He just had to get out of town, you know?" He gave a sympathetic smile. He hated seeing her this way - sad and concerned and...heartbroken.

"Because of me," she said, defeated.

"Because of him, Peyton." He set his food on the table next to him and pulled his chair closer to the desk. He placed his forearms on her desk, and leaned forward to look at her. "He's been running for two years."

"What?" she asked.

"He said there's nothing in this town that doesn't remind him of you."

"What?" she repeated herself. What was he talking about?

"You know how much he and I have talked about you over the last two years?" He tilted his head. "Hell, _I_ could write a book about the two of you." She squinted and glanced at him. How did he know? "Haley told me," he said, and she nodded.

"Oh," she stated simply.

"Peyton, I don't believe for a second that he doesn't want to be with you. OK? I've picked him up off the floor too many times over the past two years to believe that. He's gotten out of town as many times as he could."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"Because you need to know," he said, putting a small piece of lettuce in his mouth. "He thought you didn't want to be with him because you didn't love him. Once he convinced himself of that, it was downhill from there. I think he found answers in getting away; like he was putting himself in your shoes."

"Nathan..." she tried, but he interrupted.

"After a lot of road trips and drunken nights and probably tears, it was like something inside him just...changed. He started pushing himself harder and harder - pouring himself into everything else around him." He looked down at his hands. "I asked him why. You know what he said?"

She sighed deeply. She could feel her throat burn and the tears spring to her eyes, ready to fall. She just shook her head.

"He said that you were going to come back, and that he was going to be the best version of himself so you'd love him again."

That was all it took for the tears to leave her eyes. It broke her heart that Lucas ever thought that she didn't love him. How could she have let him think that? Nathan just looked at her. He knew on some level that he'd betrayed Lucas' trust. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything to her, but he thought she deserved to know that she wasn't the only one miserable and longing and lonely during the time they were apart.

"I've seen him be a better coach, a better friend, a better brother and uncle. He was already great, Peyton, but you leaving made him want to be better. He did it for you."

"Nathan," she just whispered his name. She couldn't find words. Her and Nathan had talked countless times over the years, but he'd never been this candid. She knew he had a loyalty to Lucas, and she would never ask him to betray that. "What do I do now?"

"Now, you let him be that guy." Her eyes met his again, and though they were red from tears, he could see the fear in them.

"How?" she pleaded, wiping a tear from her cheek with the palm of her hand.

"You be _you_. Be the girl he's wanted. The one who loves him and needs him. Let go of the anger and hurt and sadness and regret. Be the strong and brave girl he fell in love with in the first place." He walked around the desk and she stood from her chair and wrapped her arms around him. "He doesn't stand a chance."

"Thank you," she spoke into his embrace.

She hadn't even thought about it. Since she'd been back, she'd been the same person she'd been since she left. A shell of who she used to be, filling the hole in her heart with music and friends and art. She hadn't realized that she should have just let herself be Peyton. How had she expected him to love her if she wasn't herself? She'd been a pathetic mess of emotions and had let him see that. That wasn't her - at least it wasn't the her that she knew.

--

Lucas checked into a hotel in the small city and collapsed on the bed upon entering the room. He kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his tee shirt and boxers. He'd drawn the blinds so the mid-day sun was kept out of the room. He fell asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow, and dreamt of the green eyed girl he'd loved for as long as he could remember.

In his dream, she walked into his bedroom carrying mugs of coffee from the kitchen. Her hair was a mess, and she was wearing one of his tee shirts, but she'd never looked more perfect. He smiled as he saw her walk into the room, and as she set the mugs on the table next to his bed. She sat next to him with one leg curled underneath her.

"Hey baby," she said, placing a hand on his stomach. He leaned up to kiss her, and she laid back down with him, her head resting on his chest.

When he awoke, Lucas could feel himself smiling. He realized it was all a dream, but it was the reality he wanted. He promised himself that this time that when he got her - if he got her - he would never let her go again.

He decided to stay in the hotel until morning. He'd still be in Tree Hill by Thursday evening, and could coach the game Friday night. He dialed Nathan to let him know.

"Hello?" Nathan said when he picked up.

"Hey little brother. I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be home tomorrow night."

"Really?" Nathan asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I just need to get home," Lucas said.

"You weren't gone very long," Nathan stated.

"No. I didn't have to be," Lucas responded.

"What'd you go to Tennessee for? And what made you come back?" Nathan asked.

"I just started driving. Ended up there." He paused. "You know, I found a court in a park and there was a guy there who went to Pontiac. Said he recognized my shot from the State Championship."

"That's crazy!" Nathan said, smiling. "That was a hell of a shot, though."

"Yeah." He chuckled. "He asked if I was still with Peyton. Well, he asked if I was still with the hot blonde cheerleader." They both laughed at the description. "It just reminded me that Tree Hill is my history. It's where I need to be."

"And Peyton's who you need to be with?" Nathan asked skeptically, recalling his conversation from earlier in the day, and hoping he hadn't told Peyton those words only to have her be disappointed that they were no longer true.

Lucas laughed on the other end of the line. "Maybe."

"About time you realized it, man." Nathan said with a smile he knew no one else could see.

"I'll see you Friday morning. Tell Haley not to worry," Lucas said.

"I'll tell her, but she'll do it anyway," Nathan laughed. "See you Friday."

Lucas hung up the phone, relieved that he'd told his brother his intentions. He was going to try to get her back. He was even more relieved that Nathan thought - or knew - that it was the right thing to do. He fell asleep easily, for the first time in a long time thinking that everything was going to work itself out.

He woke up in the morning clutching a pillow in his arms. He laughed at himself, wondering how many mornings he woke up like this after she'd left. He showered and dressed, checked out of the hotel, and started driving home. To her. Hoping she'd still have him.

--

Petyon had spent the day in her office, faking work. She listened to demos and took calls, but those only served as distraction and interruption from what she was really doing. She had her sketchbook open and a marker in her hand. She drew the familiar heart she drawn many times before. This time, she'd drawn the River Court on the page with the heart on the rectangular space, reminding her of the time she'd drawn it in chalk there after he'd been in a car accident, and she was so terrified he wouldn't wake up. On the page in front of her, inside its red centre, were the words "Forgive me..." It was the title of a song she'd heard that day on one of the many demos she'd listened to, and the words struck her. She hoped he could. And she hoped she could forgive herself for leaving him in the first place.

She put down the marker and closed the book. She placed it in the locked drawer in her desk and glanced at the clock before gathering her things to leave for the day. It had been a long one, and she just wanted to get home and be alone in her bedroom, instead of this one.

Peyton was on her way home from the office, driving with the top down, though some would have said the night was too cool for it. She had music playing just loud enough so she could hear it, and felt a sense of accomplishment for signing her first artist. She'd completed the deal that day, and was excited and relieved that she was able to do it on her own.

She rounded the corner onto the main road of the small town, and saw the car she'd recognize anywhere.

He saw her turn the corner, and smiled at the sight of her blonde curls blowing wildly. It was like her to have the top down on a fall evening.

His arm was hanging out the window of his car as he drove, and he did something she never expected as he saw her approach. He raised his hand and waved, subtly. She smiled softly and lifted her hand off the wheel to return the gesture.

Can a wave make you fall in love? Can a wave express long held feelings between two souls connected? They each felt it. It felt like a new beginning.

--

Lucas opened the door and stepped into his bedroom. His whirlwind road trip had been short, but eye opening. Something inside him changed in those hours. He just hoped it wasn't too late for Peyton to forgive him for the things he'd said. Something Chuck had said kept resonating with him -_ 'Take care of her.'_

--

Peyton walked into her house and closed the door behind her. She dropped her keys on the hall table and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She didn't want to get her hopes up all based upon one wave, but she finally felt like the two of them could coexist, even if they weren't together. Nathan's words still rung in her ears - _''Be the girl he fell in love with.'_

She opened the drawer next to her bed and pulled out a photo frame. In it, was a page with his handwriting, and the quote - _"He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, sees newly every time he looks at the object beloved, drawing from it with his eyes and his mind those virtues which it possesses." _He'd given it to her years ago, writing the words from memory in one of her sketch books as they sat in the sun. He'd informed her the words were Emerson's, not his own, when she kissed his cheek and placed a hand on his thigh.

She closed her eyes and asked for the grace needed to handle whatever was about to come her way.


	11. Chapter 11

She woke up feeling...light. She felt like the weight of the previous months had somehow been lifted. She stretched and breathed and smiled as the sun hit her skin through the window. She lay in bed for a while, using the remote control to turn on her CD player. The familiar sounds of an old album filled her room as she lay in her bed with her eyes wide open. She looked at the clock. 6:00 a.m. She didn't have to be at the office until 8:00 at the earliest. She lay for a while longer before finally rising and making her way to the bathroom for a shower.

--

Before the sun even came up, Lucas was laying awake in his bed. He set his feet on the floor and made his way to his desk. Suddenly, he had the urge, for the first time in two years, to write. He didn't know what words he would type, or where they were coming from. He just wrote. His hands felt good on the keys, and stayed there until he had to go to practice. After a healthy dose of ridicule from his brother and Skills concerning his overnight getaway, their short, game day practice was finished. Lucas was eager to get back to his laptop, but had one last stop to make before heading home.

--

Peyton had spent her entire morning re-reading contracts and putting together a schedule of studio time and small performances for her new artist. Three coffees and a few hours into the day, she was desperate for a break. She tried to pretend she hadn't filled every silence in her mind with thoughts of Lucas, but finally got tired of fighting it. She made her way out of her office and walked towards her car, knowing exactly where she was heading before she even turned the key.

Everyone in this world has a place where they can just _be_. A place where, even if for only a few moments, they can block out the sounds and sights and complications of life, and just exist. For Peyton, that place is the Tree Hill cemetery. It's not conventional, by any means, but it's where she always felt most at peace. She could always find answers in the silence. She could ask questions aloud to everyone and no one in particular. And to her mother.

She took her familiar place on the grass beneath the maple tree. In the years she'd been away, the roots of the tree had grown up out of the ground. She sat amongst them, their strength like arms around her small frame; both holding her up and keeping her down. After 10 minutes of silent contemplation, she heard footsteps crunching the fallen leaves and turned to see a man who had helped all her friends in some way or another over the years.

"Coach!" She stood up as he reached her side.

"Well, Miss Sawyer, most grown ups call me Whitey." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, I don't think I'd consider myself a grown up."

"Well I don't know that I am either, but what can you do?" he chuckled. "Visiting with your mother?"

"Yeah, I needed some advice."

"You know, Lucas was out here 'bout 20 minutes ago asking Keith for some advice too. I hope his uncle and your mother are up there comparing notes on you two." The older man winked at her. She looked to the ground and chuckled, and at the simple mention of his name, her stomach did a backflip remembering the gesture and his smile from the evening before.

"Peyton, I don't think it's any coincidence all you kids coming back here. You can travel the world all you want, but most of the time the things you love have a way of bringing you back right where you started from." She looked up at his face into his eyes that had seen more life than she could imagine. "That place is home, Miss Sawyer. And it's always going to be here waiting for you."

"It's like I never left. It's kind of nice." She paused and bent to pick up her purse. "You know, I think Lucas would like it if you came to a game every now and again."

"You tell Lucas that if his team could win a game, I might start showing up to cheer 'em on. Of course that would require you two talkin'."

She wondered for a moment how he knew, then simply said, "I'm working on it."

"Well work harder!" He shouted, reminding her of the crabby demeanor they had all come to love. "You know, Lucas came to me a few days after you left town."

"He did?" She looked up at him again, unable to hide the sadness on her face.

"He said that he thought you two were meant to be together. You know what I told him?"

"What?" Her eyes focused on the ground, and she pushed a leaf with the toe of her shoe.

"I told him that everyone else _knew_ it. And that some day you, Miss Saywer, would know it too. Just because he's not talking doesn't mean he doesn't want to. Find away to make him."

The two stood in silence for a few moments until he signed the cross and turned to her with a warm smile and a tip of his faded Ravens ball cap, and walked away.

"Game tonight, Coach," she called after him. She saw him shake his head as he made his way to his car.

--

"Pick it up! Come on, pass the ball!" Lucas shouted from the sidelines.

The gym was packed and the scene was all too familiar. Brooke and Peyton suddenly felt much older than their 24 years.

"Is it just me, P.Sawyer, or does it feel...small in here?" Brooke asked as they took their places in the stands.

"Yea, maybe it feels bigger when game nights are the most important thing in your life."

"You know, we've never actually sat in the bleachers together for a game?!" Brooke turned her head to look at Peyton. Brooke had gone to almost all the Ravens' home games since returning to Tree Hill.

"No, but remember when I got shot in the leg and couldn't walk for a while? I took in a couple games from up here." Peyton laughed.

"Right. Sorry." Brooke smiled. "GO RAVENS!"

The girls started laughing hysterically and for a few moments, both forgot about the world outside that moment. Until Peyton saw Lucas. He looked good in his suit, calling plays and watching the team he coached execute his demands.

She snapped out of her daydream when Haley came and sat next to her.

"Hey Teacher Mom. Bring your pom poms?" Brooke asked, leaning over Peyton to nudge her friend's thigh.

"God no!" Haley shot back.

"Oh come on, I'm sure Nate would love to see you in that uniform again." Brooke winked and they all laughed.

"Where's Jamie?" Peyton asked as they all cheered after a Ravens basket.

"He's down there in his little suit, handing out Gatorade."

"How adorable is that!?" Brooke shrieked, looking through the sea of people for her Godson.

"Yup. He wants to be just like his daddy." Haley smiled at the thought.

The three spent the rest of the game laughing and joking about old times. Lucas looked over at one point and swore he was just three cheerleader uniforms away from the way things used to be. A smile spread across his face as he looked at a happy Peyton and remembered that night in a crowded gym when he stopped in front of her and told her that he wanted her beside him when all his dreams came true.

She caught him looking her way and widened the smile on her face. He looked away, but she couldn't help but wonder what had him smiling again. She hadn't seen that look of happiness in ages, and she hoped with everything in her that her presence had something to do with it.

After the game when most of the crowd had cleared, the girls sat in silence in the gym, staring at the state championship banner, memories of that time rushing back into their minds. After a few minutes, Haley got up to leave, then Brooke.

"You coming?" She asked the blonde.

"I think I'm going to sit for a while. Call me tomorrow?" She looked up at her friend, who looked over at Lucas smiling and joking with Skills and talking about their long awaited victory.

"Sure. 'Night."

"Bye, Brooke." Peyton looked at her feet and Lucas noticed she was still sitting there. There was an ache in his heart as he watched her. The thought of the two of them alone in the empty gym brought an unexpected excitement to his mind.

"Well, coach, 'bout time you started teaching those boys some defense."

"Whitey Durham. You finally came to a game." The two hugged casually and smiled. Peyton took notice of their conversation. Lucas had his back to her, but she could feel his happiness, even from her place in the stands.

"Well, I had some help." The older man looked towards Peyton and nodded. "Ran into a young lady today who said it might mean something to you to show up."

Lucas looked to the floor and laughed. "It means a lot, Coach. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Thank her." Whitey motioned towards the stands again, where Peyton was getting up to leave. The three of them were the last ones left in the gym. Lucas looked over his shoulder. "And Lucas, this means something to you, but I know it'd mean something to her to know you brought her mother flowers every time you visited Keith."

Luke smiled, "I just figured someone ought to." Both men knew there was more to the gesture than that. Luke looked at her again as she was walking across the gym floor.

"Go on, son. I'll see you next game." Whitey patted Lucas on the shoulder with a smile and turned to walk away.

Peyton was almost out the door when Lucas caught up with her.

"Hey," he said, placing a hand on the small of her back.

She smile and turned to face him. "Hi. Congrats on the win."

"Thanks. And thanks for talking to Whitey. You really didn't have to do that."

"It was nothing." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the floor

"It was something to me. So thank you." Her eyes met his and she grinned at him. "You want to take a ride with me?"

She looked at her watch. It was getting late, but all she had waiting for her was an empty house. "Um. I guess I have no reason not to."

"Don't get too enthusiastic, now," Lucas joked.

"I just don't want there to be yelling this time." They started to make their way out of the gym.

"No yelling. I promise."

They walked to his car in silence. He opened the door for her and she threw him a smile as she sat in the seat that used to be hers. He got in and turned the key and the engine purred to life.

He turned to look at her. "Now, I know Peyton Sawyer must have some music to fit the moment."

She laughed and reached into her bag. "I don't know what this moment is yet, but here. Put this on."

Ryan Adams' voice filled the car and they both realized what the moment was - the two of them reconnecting._ It takes two when it used to take one._

"I forgot how good you look in a suit." Her elbow was leaning on the door and her face was resting in her hand.

"I forgot how good you look in that gym." She turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "I could have sworn we were 17 again. You, Haley and Brooke laughing and cheering on the Ravens. Felt like it used to."

"No it didn't."

He took his eyes off the road momentarily to look at her with confusion.

"This time I was watching Lucas Scott, Coach, not Lucas Scott, star shooting guard."

He laughed again. It still felt strange to hear someone call him a 'star'.

"Yeah, you were staring. It was so obvious, really. I mean, the guys were asking about it." He smiled at her as she stared at him with her mouth open about to protest. "They kept bugging me about the hot chick who couldn't take her eyes off me. You should really try to hide it better."

"Shut up! They did not." She playfully hit him in the arm and turned back to the road.

It was dark when they got to the cemetery. She got out of the car and crossed her arms again to fight the chill of the night air. Lucas went to the back of the car and opened the trunk.

"Here," he said, tossing her a sweater, familiar lettering advertising Keith Scott Body Shop written across the back. She smiled, thinking of the man Lucas admired most in the world. She pulled the sweater over her head and got lost in the familiar scent of it. Cologne and just a little bit of sweat. She remembered the nights at the River Court when he would shoot the ball until he got too tired or too distracted by her presence and come wrap his arms around her.

He closed the trunk and walked to her with his hands behind his back.

"Luke, I know you hate me, but please tell me you're not about to throw me in an open grave," she said as they started walking.

"No," he laughed.

They reached the familiar place under the tree where she used to sit and draw until her hands were black with pencil led.

"Why are we here, Luke? This is weird."

"I have been coming here once a week since you left." He looked at her and pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back. There was only a far away lamp post splashing soft light on her face.

"Why?" There was shock in her voice and a tear in her eye that she didn't want him to see.

"Because you would have." He looked at the flowers in his hand and placed them against the grave stone. "Do you remember the first time you brought me here?"

"Luke..." She tried to interject, but he continued.

"You said that I had you smiling again." He looked at the stone, not at her face. He needed to say this and couldn't do it if he was watching her. "When you left, it killed me, Peyton, but I knew that what you were leaving for made you happy. I just wanted you to keep smiling. So I let you leave because more than anything in this world that I could ever ask for myself, I wanted you to be happy."

Suddenly her arms were around him and her face was buried in his chest. It took him by surprise, but eventually his arms found their way around her waist.

"Thank you." It was all she could muster.

They stood there embracing for what felt like hours before she pulled away from him slightly and wiped a tear from her face.

"I'll give you a minute." He pulled away from her and placed a hand on the gravestone in front of them before walking away.

Peyton couldn't believe he had done this. Once a week for two years. 104 visits he made without her knowing. She was filled with a new hope: The kind soul she fell in love with was still inside him somewhere.

"Hi Mom. I know it's late." She paused and looked over to Lucas standing in front of Keith's grave. She could barely see him through the darkness. "Why didn't you tell me he came? I know. I wasn't ready to hear it. It probably surprises me more than it surprises you. I told you he was sweet, though. I just want him to find his way back to me." She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye again. "I love you, Mom."

She pulled a few flowers from the bunch he had set there minutes earlier and made her way to Lucas.

"Hey Keith," she started. Lucas turned his head to look at her, wondering what she was going to say next. "Since your nephew stiffed you on flowers this time, I'll leave you these." Lucas chuckled and threw an arm around her, which shocked them both. He laughed because Keith would have.

"Let's go. I'll take you home." They walked back to his car again in silence. She didn't know what to say to him now. Her heart was filled with even more love and gratitude and she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, all of those feelings would fall out of her in a mess of words and it would ruin everything. So she said nothing.

When they pulled up in front of her house, the house they had sat in front of hundreds of times before, she turned to him, finally having found some words.

"Luke, thank you. Really." She turned to leave his car, but he stopped her.

"I don't hate you, Peyton." He placed a hand on her forearm.

"What?" She looked at him again.

"Earlier, you said you know I hate you. I don't hate you." He was shaking his head as he said the words.

"OK." She wanted so badly to kiss him again, but didn't want to ruin the moment. "Goodnight." She got out and walked to her front porch. He waited until she was inside to drive away, like he always had.

Her music was still playing in his car. He was about to turn back to return her CD, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He felt like there was still a piece of her with him, and he wasn't ready to give that up just yet.

Peyton got to her bedroom and put down her bag. She pulled off the sweater and looked at it in her hands. He had forgotten to ask for it back. Secretly, she hadn't wanted him to. She got ready for bed and pulled the grey cotton over her head again. If she couldn't sleep next to him, at least she'd sleep with the piece of him she had.


	12. Chapter 12

Morning came quickly and Peyton was woken again by the sun and the sound of birds chirping outside her window. It took a few minutes to realize the night before hadn't been a dream. She looked down at the grey sweatshirt she was wearing, and her heart was full of love and gratitude for the man who'd spent these years loving her, even though she'd given him every reason not to. She felt like the night before might just have been the beginning of their way back to how they used to be. Or maybe their way to how it was going to be.

She spent her morning in her bed, in his shirt, listening to songs that reminded her of him. She felt like she was 17 again, thinking of him while he had no clue. She was listening to lyrics and applying them to the night before, or their relationship, or just him. She searched through her bag for her Ryan Adams album, before remembering where she'd left it. She had another song that would forever be tied to him. To them. She just hoped the memory would continue to make her feel this happy.

She feared that if she left her room, she'd realize that it was all in her head. She worried that the next time she saw him, they'd be back to shouting at and resenting each other. So she stayed in her bedroom and in happiness. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done it, but she stayed there all day, until the sweatshirt began to smell more like her than it did him.

--

Lucas usually spent Saturdays at the River Court with his childhood friends and his brother and nephew, but this morning, he'd called to let them know he wouldn't be there. He was writing. He was writing about Peyton again, without the heartache. Suddenly, it was as if his world made sense again, because she was in it. All the feelings he'd been avoiding since she returned were flowing out of him, and all he wanted to do was make sure those feelings were well represented on the screen in front of him.

The only sound that filled his room was the soft clacking of the keys, until he took the CD she'd left with him and let the sound and lyrics resonate. The album must have repeated 5 times before he stopped writing and took a break. He brewed coffee and stood in his kitchen sipping from a mug, then there was a knock at his door. Haley stepped into the house.

"Hey," he said, "want some coffee?"

"Yeah, sure." She grabbed her own mug and poured a cup before joining him at his kitchen table.

"What's up, Hales," he asked.

"The boys are playing, but you're not." He chuckled and sipped from his mug. "I just wanted to check up on you."

"I just got the urge to write," he admitted.

"Really? What brought that on?" she asked.

"Your glowing review, first and foremost," he teased.

"Liar. What?" she asked seriously.

"Well, what you said about the book really did help." She rolled her eyes at him. "But I hung out with Peyton last night."

"Wow. No screaming? No bloodshed?" She joked and he rolled his eyes.

"No, Haley, we just talked. It was nice." A smile came to his face again, as he pictured her in his sweatshirt and in his arms. "We're taking it slow."

"So is she, like, your muse?" She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

"OK. Officially the last time I tell you anything." She swatted his arm before getting up from her seat and placing her mug in the sink. "Drink and run, huh?" he asked.

"I have to go pick up the two most important men in my life."

"You mean the second and third most important, right?" he laughed.

"Ha, ha," she said. "Bye Luke."

She closed the door behind her and he sat for another 10 minutes before heading back to his computer. This time, however, he couldn't concentrate on anything other than the image of Peyton in his mind. Her hair blowing as she sat in the passenger seat of his car with the window rolled down. Her laugh. Her smile. Her arms around him. The way she smelled. All he wanted to do was tell her how much he needed all those things, and how desperately he'd missed them.

He bit the bullet. He took the CD out of his player and decided to take it back to her. He had to see her now. The feeling of longing was replaced by a deep need to just be near her. It felt like it did when he was away at school - every Monday, that feeling would start and the anticipation was carried until Fridays when they were together again.

He opened the door to head to his car, but was stopped by the very person who'd consumed his thoughts all morning.

"Hi," she said simply.

"Hi," he replied. He could feel himself smile at her, and she was playing coy, looking at her feet and avoiding eye contact.

"I just thought I'd bring this back to you," she said, extending her arm out so he could take the sweater from her.

"Oh. Right." He took it from her and threw it over his shoulder nonchalantly. It smelled like her, and it made him smile. "I was just going to bring this back to you." He held up the CD and then handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said, and the two stood there for a few moments, just looking at each other.

"Well, since you don't have a sweater any more, and it's cold out here, come inside." He motioned for her to walk into his room, then followed her and shut the door. She quickly surveyed the space, noting that his laptop was open. She didn't dare ask if he was writing again, so she just crossed her arms and leaned against the dresser.

He folded the sweater and placed it on his bed. "Smells like you."

"Oh. Really?" she asked, chuckling.

"Yeah. You think I wouldn't remember that smell?" He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her smiling. She was in her standard outfit - jeans and tee shirt. Generally, her tee shirts were branded with some band's name, but this one was simple dark grey. That's what he loved about her, though - she could look so beautiful in ripped denim and a plain shirt. Though, he'd be the first to admit that she'd look beautiful in anything.

"So no big Saturday plans?" she asked. It felt strange to make small talk with him.

"This is pretty much it. You want a coffee or water or anything?" he asked, standing and walking closer to her. He had to, to get to the door, but just his presence approaching her was enough to intoxicate her.

"Water would be great." She waited for him to return, and kicked herself, thinking every word coming from her mouth was the wrong one to say.

"What about you, no plans?" he called from the kitchen, then walked back into the room with two bottles.

"No. I just laid in bed all morning. This is as ambitious as I've gotten." He laughed, but his mind wandered and he pictured her in her bed, covers up around her midsection, just laying awake with her thoughts.

"Well, you want to do something?" he asked, suppressing the hope in his voice as she tried to hide the surprise in her eyes.

"Um, sure. Another field trip to the cemetery?" she joked. He grabbed his basketball from its place beside the door.

"No," he laughed. "Come on."

She followed him out the door again, and they began walking towards the place that had been witness to countless moments in their relationship. It was just implied that's where they were heading. They walked a block in silence, save for the ball bouncing on the pavement.

"So how's business? Haley said you signed some guy" he finally said.

"Some guy?" she laughed. "Yeah, I just closed the deal. I'm actually really excited about it."

"That's great, Peyton. I'm glad things are working out for you here." She was glad to hear him say those words, instead of telling her again that he didn't want her in Tree Hill. She thought that if there ever was an in to talk about his writing, this would be it, but she didn't want to push the subject. She knew him. He'd talk about it when he was ready.

They talked about her work, and Jamie, the players on this year's Ravens team, and their friends, before they got to the River Court. Now empty after the boys' morning pick up game, she looked to the place where their signatures were once painted. Long since paved over, it was a reminder that that chapter of their lives was over.

"Let's see that jump shot, Sawyer," he shouted, jogging past her and tossing her the ball, taking her from her memory.

"Oh, God," she said, bouncing the ball a couple times. "I'm probably rusty. I lost my coach, you know?" She smiled as he threw his head back and rolled his eyes. Over the years, he'd taught her some basic moves and plays, and she'd let him because it made him happy. She attempted the shot and was shocked when it went in.

"Nice form," he teased. She was never much one for following the rules - her arms would flail wildly when she let the ball go. But he always complimented her anyway.

"Surprising. I had a terrible teacher." He threw the ball back to her and bent his knees to guard her. "You can't defend against me! That's not fair!"

"Not fair? It's the game, sweetheart. Try the fade away if you're pressured," he said.

"Nathan always said the fade away was weak," she smiled, and he straightened his posture and placed both hands on his hips as he laughed.

"Give me the ball," he reached to grab it from her.

"No! Cheater!" she shouted, as she ran towards the net with him following. She went in for a lay up and again, the sound of the chains on the leather indicated the ball had gone in.

"OK this sucks. You're actually winning." He took the ball in his hands and made his way to half court.

"Don't be so surprised, Scott. All my boyfriends have been basketball players."

"Ouch. You could have at least said that you dated a really great coach or something." He dribbled the ball past her and shot, but the ball bounced off the rim.

"What's that old saying?" she asked, with her hand on her chin. "Those who can't do, coach?"

"Alright, whose idea was this anyway." He shot the ball again, and it went in this time.

"Aww, I'm just kidding." She started walking off the court and towards the bleachers. "You do your thing, I'll just watch."

It felt like it used to. The two of them the only ones there, throwing smiles at each other when they happened to lock eyes, and him playing until he was out of breath. She watched him dribble the ball and focus on the game with the same intensity he had when he played with the Ravens. She could tell he still loved it. The way his palms spun the ball and his concentration on the hoop never wavered, save for when he saw her out of the corner of his eye. She had taken a small notebook out of her bag and was writing, with her hair blowing in the breeze. She thought of the drawing in her desk drawer, and how this space was represented. She paused to stretch her arms above her head, revealing a few inches of her stomach. His concentration broke and he missed three free throws in a row. Her focus went back to the book, and curiosity got the best of him.

"What are you writing?" He walked over to her, short of breath, and wiped his forehead with his arm.

"Just work stuff," she replied.

"Work? Peyton, it's Saturday." He sat next to her and his arm brushed her thigh, sending a shiver through her. Oblivious, he said, "Maybe I should have brought that sweater."

"I'm OK," she laughed. "It's actually kind of nice. I missed the chill. L.A. is too much sun. I need this."

"Yeah?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah." She turned her head to look him in the eyes. "You know the end of summer, that first night when the temperature drops and the wind is blowing? The first time you need a jacket when you go outside?" He was nodding. "I love that. That might be my favourite day of the year."

She'd never told him that before. She wondered why she hadn't. Maybe she didn't realize she loved it until she didn't realize how much she loved it until she didn't have it. Just like she hadn't realized just how much she loved him until she didn't have him. They sat quietly, each of them thinking of the other, for a few moments.

"This is nice, isn't it?" he asked.

"This, us sitting here? Yeah." She smiled at him he flashed his dimples.

"I missed this," he said. "Just being with you."

Her heart felt full again. After so many months and days and hours feeling empty, feeling nothing but hurt and pain, she finally felt like the hole in her heart could be filled. By him.

"I missed it too." She desperately wanted to ask what brought on his change of heart. What had made him go from implying that he hated her, to admitting that he'd missed being with her? But again, she felt as though if she said the words and asked the questions she wanted to ask, it would ruin the moment. She needed this moment, exactly as it was, intact in her mind. The way he looked, with beads of sweat on his temple and sun bouncing off his skin. She needed to leave this moment unaltered. So she did, and they sat again, both reveling in each others' company.

"Do you want to have dinner with me?" Before she could stop herself, she'd asked. "I mean, I have this new kitchen and I just thought...You know, if you wanted to...I could make something."

"That sounds great, actually." He stood on the bleachers and shot the ball. They both watched as it sunk through the net, and began laughing. He'd ended every River Court session that way since she bet him he couldn't once during their senior year of high school. He'd stay until he sunk the ball, just to prove to her that he could do it.

They walked towards her house, stopping for a bottle of wine and some fresh ingredients along the way. He joked that the only things she could cook were old standards off the Karen's Cafe menu. He reminded her of the time she'd attempted to make lasagna and ended up with a dish of hard noodles floating in tomato juice. Little did he know that she'd taken cooking classes and could actually make more than just the standards.

They arrived at her house and headed towards the kitchen. She was putting the groceries away while he observed her new appliances.

"Peyton, this is amazing!" He ran his hand along the granite countertop before perching on a barstool across from her at the new island. "Are you sure Tim is responsible for this?"

"Crazy, right?" She reached for a cutting board and a knife. "Who knew?"

He watched as her hands gripped the knife and expertly sliced through the vegetables she was preparing. Her delicate fingers guided the tool effortlessly. He knew she'd taken to cooking after his mother showed her some basic recipes and techniques, but watching her now, he was convinced she'd been practicing for this moment. She noticed him staring.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just," he paused, "you look like a professional or something."

"Yeah?" she asked. "Wait until you taste it." He laughed at her. He liked the confident side of her. Clearly, she'd come a long way from salty cookies and soupy lasagna.

He opened the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass.

"Cheers," he said, raising his glass slightly.

"To?" she asked, coyly.

"To," he stopped to think, "being home. And happy."

She smiled and clinked her glass against his. "Cheers."

He watched her wipe a drop of wine off her upper lip with her index finger. _'How is she still so damn sexy?' _he asked himself. He had to break himself from that train of thought.

"So I did some writing this morning," he stated

"That's great, Luke." She smiled up at him and took another sip from her glass. "I saw that your laptop was open. I didn't want to pry."

"No, it's OK. I just woke up and the words were there again." He watched as she nodded and smiled at him. It was as though the piece of wood and granite separating them was the only thing from taking her in his arms. "Haley thinks you're my muse."

"Oh, God." She could feel herself blushing so she turned towards her stove to stir the sauce that was simmering. She grabbed the bottle of wine off the counter and dropped a splash of the red liquid into the shallow pot.

"You might be, Peyton." She looked back over at him again, and took in the serious look on his face.

"Luke..." she tried to tell him he was embarrassing her.

"No, I'm serious. Last night was..." his voice trailed as he searched for the appropriate word, "cathartic. It's really great to just be able to talk to you again."

"Yeah." She placed her hands on the counter in front of her, as if to anchor herself in place. She looked down, and saw his hand grab hers.

"I've missed you," he said, making her look at his face again.

"You said that already," she smiled.

"That's because I mean it."

She just smiled. There was no better way to express how those simple words made her feel. She'd waited so long to hear him say them that she almost didn't believe it had happened. She always knew on some level that it was true - that he missed her - but his actions never supported the thought.

They made their way through dinner with more easy conversation and joking and just _comfort_. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way. Actually, yes, he could. It was the last day they were together, before she told him she was leaving. It was like this serenity, this calm, was missing from his life and from him for the entire time she was gone, and now it had been reawakened in him.

"That was seriously delicious," he said, as he cleared their plates.

"Thanks. I took a couple classes." It was an understatement. She'd taken classes of varying difficulties and cultures the entire time she was in L.A. "Cooking soothes me."

He loved seeing this side of her. He loved that after almost 10 years of knowing her, there were still things he could learn from her, and about her. That was, in his mind, the mark of a perfect relationship. He wanted to know everything about her, but still didn't think he ever would. But if she'd let him, he wanted to spend the rest of his days like this one.

He offered to clean the kitchen, but of course, she wouldn't let him. Instead they just finished their bottle of wine and chatted. The only thing she had in the house for dessert was vanilla ice cream, so he grabbed two spoons and they ate it straight from the carton. They both felt their evening coming to a close, and neither wanted to admit it was over, but neither wanted to rush their reunion, for fear of losing each other again.

"I should probably get going," he said, when he looked at his watch and saw that it was 11:30.

"Yeah, it's getting late, I guess." She stood up and followed him towards the front door.Truthfully, she didn't want him to go. She wanted to lay with him and talk about nothing or everything or anything. She wanted him to stay.

"I had a great time today, Peyton. Thank you." They were standing at her front door, and his hand was on the doorknob. The last thing he wanted to do was turn it and end up on the other side and walking away from her.

"Me too," she said, studying the lines of his face. He put his arms around her, and even though that's what she'd wanted all day, it still took her off guard. She closed her eyes and slid her hands up his back. He gently placed a kiss on her forehead, before saying goodbye and leaving her reeling from their day and the feelings boiling up inside her.

His entire walk home was spent wondering if he should have stayed. Would she have let him? Surely one nice day together wouldn't erase his words from their previous few encounters. Would it? He'd felt more alive that day than he had in ages, and he wanted to hang onto that feeling for as long as he could. So he tried to capture it by writing about it, before collapsing into bed.

His kiss on her forehead left her wanting more. More of him, more of that feeling, more of the happiness she felt when he was near her. More of that day. She climbed the stairs to her room and laid down on her bed. She put on one of her current favourite albums, and lay in the darkness, taking in each word, and hearing the simple melodies, full of emotion. It didn't make her want him any less. In fact, it made her want him more. But it made her realize that he was _all_ she wanted.


	13. Chapter 13

"Get your bony ass out of bed! It's Sunday! It's girls' day!"

"Brooke, what are you talking about? Sunday is sleep day." Peyton attempted to pull the covers over her head, but Brooke tore them right off the bed.

"No. It's girls' day. You, me and Haley." Brooke went to turn on the shower.

"Brooooke," Peyton whined.

"I saw the empty bottle of wine downstairs, but trust me, the shower will help the hangover. Get up!!"

Peyton obliged finally, pulling herself from her bed and walking towards the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, but could still hear Brooke's voice over the sound of the running water.

"What are you doing sleeping at 1 in the afternoon anyway?"

"Went to bed late. What are we doing today, exactly?" Peyton shouted back.

"We're meeting Haley at the mall then having dinner, then going to her place and getting ready for the night out at Tric," Brooke was rummaging through her friend's closet, looking for something suitable for Tric. After about 10 minutes, Peyton emerged from the bathroom fully clothed in the outfit Brooke had left for her.

"Brooke, what did you do to my room?" she asked, noticing the pile of clothes strewn on the bed.

"I, um, tried to find you something to wear tonight," Brooke said innocently.

"Great. And?" Peyton asked sarcastically.

"No luck. But, I happen to know this great designer who can definitely put something together for you at her very own store." There was a twinkle in Brooke's eye that she always got when she could play dress up and use her friends as mannequins. "Let's go. We're going to be late."

The two left Peyton's house and climbed into Brooke's SUV. Several minutes later, Peyton was sitting on the couch in the boutique as Brooke buzzed around her, holding tops up to her and commenting on her skin tone and body type. Peyton just laughed at her friend and watched as Haley walked through the door.

"Let me guess, Brooke's treating you like a Barbie?" she asked, sitting next to Peyton.

"Something like that," the blonde replied. The watched Brooke stand in front of a mannequin, adding and removing accessories from the outfit it held. As crazy as they thought she was, Haley and Peyton smiled at the sight of their friend demonstrating her passion for her work.

"So where were you yesterday? I called you around 3:00 and you didn't answer," Haley asked.

Peyton couldn't hide her smile and tried to choose her words carefully. "I, uh, spent the day with Luke." Her eyes met Haley's and observed the shock they held.

"What!?" Brooke squealed, running to stand in front of her friend.

"After the game, we hung out and I forgot to give him back his sweater. I went to return it and we ended up talking and having dinner." She couldn't suppress her smile any more and she looked at her friends, who were listening with their mouths open in shock.

Haley knew about Friday night, but Saturday was a surprise to her. "So what happened?" she asked excitedly.

"Nothing. We just spent the day together. He admitted he's missed me. It felt...normal." She'd wanted to say that it felt perfect, but knew her friends would groan at the cheesy line.

"OK, I need to find you something amazing now. If you're seeing him tonight, you need to look _fab_ulous!" Brooke took off towards the stock room at the back of the store.

"That's awesome, Peyton," Haley said. "But what changed?" She didn't want to be a downer, but she had to be the voice of reason. Things don't just change overnight. Do they?

"I talked to Nathan," she looked at her friend, who smiled and nodded. She obviously knew the two had talked. "And Whitey."

"Whitey?" Haley asked.

"Yeah" Peyton smiled. "And I don't know what happened to Lucas on that road trip, but he's different."

"Different how?"

"He's not angry. He's..." she paused, "Lucas again."

Haley smiled. She was so glad the two of them were getting along again. And she was so happy that her husband had been the one to get through to Peyton. They'd all tried, but he'd been the one to speak the right words to her. She took her phone out of her bag and sent Nathan a quick text message - _'I love you'._

Brooke came from the back of the store again, holding a black, knee length halter dress in her hands.

"Brooke, that's gorgeous!" Haley stated, getting up to walk towards the brunette.

"I know. You're wearing it," she said, staring Peyton down. She expected an argument; her friend had never been one to take orders. She always had a rebuttal.

"OK," she said, smiling.

"OK?" Haley and Brooke both asked, surprised.

"OK," Peyton repeated with a single nod of her head.

--

Nathan's phone beeped in his pocket, indicating he'd received a message. He pulled it from his jeans and opened it to read what she'd written. He smiled and for a moment forgot that he wasn't alone.

"What, dad?" Jamie asked, looking up at his father.

"Just your mom," Nathan replied, still smiling at the thought of her. He didn't know what had made her send it, but he didn't care. He replied back to her with the same three words.

"What about her?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, Nate, what about her?" Lucas chimed in, smiling.

"She's pretty special." It was the understatement of the year, and he knew as soon as he said it.

"I know," Jamie replied, his little hands finding the controller again.

They were at Skills' and Mouth's apartment playing video games and enjoying a day with the boys. Jamie was always invited, and somehow, the older guys always watched their mouths and their actions around the boy. Even when their NBA Live games got intense, they always seemed to keep it under control. At the moment, the three Scott boys were beating Skills, Mouth, and Fergie handily.

"So yo, Luke," Skills started, "why'd you duck us yesterday?"

"I didn't duck you," Lucas laughed. "I just had something to do, that's all.

"Like what?" Nathan asked. He already knew his brother had written all Saturday morning, but sensed there was more to the story than he had let on.

"Like, spend the day with Peyton." He looked over at them skeptically, wondering how they'd each react. The shock and confusion on their faces said it all.

"You mean we've been sitting here for an hour and you're just now telling us that you spent an entire day with the girl you're still in love with?" Mouth asked, pausing their game and placing his controller on the coffee table in front of him.

"We just talked and went to the River Court and she made dinner." Lucas tried to play down the significance of the day, but his friends weren't buying it. They all just looked at him for a few moments.

"Good." Someone finally spoke. None of them had expected Jamie to be the first to comment. Nathan looked down at his son, who was sitting next to him. "Everyone knows you want her to be your girlfriend."

They all laughed. Even the 6 year old knew it.

"So is she coming to Tric tonight, man?" Skills inquired.

"I don't know. Probably." Lucas took a drink from his bottle of water. He was relieved that none of them could see his heart rate speed up at the thought of seeing her again.

After their game was finished, the boys ate dinner together, then went their separate ways to get ready for their night out. Nathan went back to his house and tried to avoid the girls as much as possible as they sat in front of the mirror in the bedroom he shared with his wife. They were still in street clothes while they applied makeup, and he grinned as he watched the women laugh and joke with each other.

"Mom's here to watch Jamie. I'm going to Luke's," he said, as he grabbed the clothes he planned on wearing. Haley noticed him take her favourite shirt of his from their closet and threw him a wink and a smile. He left the house almost as quickly as he'd gotten there, but not before Haley ran out of the room and reached up to kiss him in the hallway. He smiled down at her and whispered "thanks for the text" in her ear, before starting down the stairs.

--

The girls had enjoyed their day together. They hadn't all hung out like that, without venting their various problems and concerns, in a long time. It felt great to just have fun again. They ate at one of their old favourite restaurants and were now at Haley's, where they could hear Jamie and Deb splashing in the pool.

"Come on, Haley. I know you can rock that dress!" Brooke shouted at the closed bathroom door. Haley was on the other side, looking at herself in the mirror, wearing the dress Brooke had - for no reason at all - given her the week before.

"Brooke, I don't know..." her voice trailed.

"Haley James Scott, get out here!" Peyton shouted.

The bathroom door finally opened and Haley emerged, wearing the blue silk dress that was cut just above the knees. Her two friends just smiled and stared.

"I am a wife, and a mother! I can't wear this!"

"Oh, honey, you _are_ wearing that. It looks amazing on you!" Brooke said, laughing.

"You look great, Haley. Nathan is going to die when he sees you in this." Peyton crossed her arms

"He is, isn't he?" she smiled and caught her reflection in the mirror again. She slid her feet into the black pumps Brooke had chosen. "What about you?" she asked, walking towards Peyton. "Luke is going to have another heart attack with you looking like that."

"Stop it," Peyton ordered. "Lucas and I are nothing."

"OK, I know you don't expect us to believe that. I know _you_ don't believe that," Brooke said, tilting her head.

The three girls stood, with Haley in the middle and Petyon and Brooke on either side, staring in the mirror. They each silently thought about all they'd been through and how much they still leaned on each other.

"Let's get out of here. Can't leave your boys waiting, can we?" Brooke finally said, grabbing her hand bag off the bed. She was the night's designated driver.

"What about you, Brooke? Anyone new on the radar?" Haley asked as they made their way down the stairs.

"God, no!" She exclaimed, though in the back of her mind was a voice calling her a liar.

"Brooke, you haven't had a real boyfriend since Chase," Haley said. Peyton shot her a look. Brooke had never told them what had happened between her and her former boyfriend. Instead she just said that it hadn't worked out, in a tone that suggested they shouldn't ask her anything more about it.

"Well, I just haven't met anyone I've been interested in." They walked to Brooke's SUV and climbed in. Peyton and Haley exchanged a look, wondering if they'd ever know the whole story. Lucas was the only one Brooke had told, and some days she even regretted having told him. When her company started to grow and she moved to New York, Chase had offered to move with her so they could be together. There was nothing she wanted more, but Victoria forbid it. She convinced Brooke that there wouldn't be time for boyfriends and she'd only end up heartbroken and alone anyway. Brooke had ended their relationship, and the last she heard, Chase was living in Raleigh and running his father's business. She hadn't talked to him since the day she told him they couldn't be together any more. She'd secretly wanted him to fight for her, but he never did, so she resolved herself to the fact that he wasn't _the one _anyway. The truth is, lately, she'd been thinking about someone else completely.

The girls got to Tric and noticed Nathan's Land Rover in the parking lot. The boys were already there, and both Peyton and Haley felt their heart rates increase.

They walked up the steps and into the club, surveying the room for the group they were meeting. Nathan and Lucas stood out in the crowd. They were standing with Mouth and Skills, and the four of them were laughing as the waiter brought three beers and one bottle of water for Nathan.

Skills turned his head and saw the three girls standing side by side by side at the door. "Damn," was all he could say. The three other men turned to see Skills' was looking at, and none of them could speak. The girls noticed them then, staring at them, and started walking towards their table. Lucas' eyes made his way to Peyton's legs, as they always seemed to do. He smiled at her, and she returned the gesture. He looked good in his black pants and grey button-down shirt. How was it that no matter what he wore, it seemed to make his eyes even more blue?

Nathan looked at his wife. He couldn't help but stare. She looked stunning in the flowing dark blue material, with her hair framing her face perfectly. She hooked an arm around his waist and he kissed the top of her head. "Hey gorgeous," he whispered in her ear, making her smile even wider.

"Damn, B. Davis, you sure know how to steal a man's attention," Skills told the brunette. She was in a strapless white mini dress. It was simple, but her dark features and tanned skin made it stunning. Her hair was swept up off her back and a silver necklace hung at just the right length.

"Let's get you some drinks," Lucas said, pulling Nathan from his conversation with his wife and Skills from the gaze he'd fixed on Brooke. They walked towards the bar and the tree girls were left at the table.

"My husband looks damn good tonight," Haley observed.

"Yeah, he's a real dream boat," Mouth said. They'd forgotten he was there.

"Mouth! Sorry!" Brooke said and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Where's Milli?"

"She's at home," he said, "she had to finish up some work for her slave driving boss." Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm kidding. She's waiting for a call from her sister."

Just then, a song came booming through the club that they all recognized.

"We are _so_ dancing to this song!" Brook shouted and grabbed Mouth's hand. Haley and Peyton followed them to the dance floor, and Nathan, Lucas, and Skills watched them as they brought drinks back to the table. Lucas smiled as Peyton laughed and twirled with her friends to the music that was playing. She looked happy. She looked like she used to. She looked like the girl he loved.

"Peyton looks great, man," Nathan nudged his brother's arm.

"Yeah, she does." Lucas looked to his brother, then back to the blonde.

The girls and Mouth made their way back to the table to get their drinks. They were laughing and joking with each other, and all felt about five years younger than they actually were.

"Hi," Lucas said as Peyton stood next to him, picking up her drink and taking a sip.

"Hey you," she replied with a smile. She'd spent the entire day thinking of him, but not wanting her friends to know she was thinking of him.

"You look beautiful," he told her, leaning in and speaking softly, but just loud enough that she could hear him over the music. She looked up at him, and could feel her cheeks turning read. How did he still have that effect on her?

Brooke's phone lit up, and she walked away from the table to check the message that had just been left for her. A few moments later, Skills left the table, and his friends who were all enjoying a conversation, and followed her to where she stood on the balcony outside the back of the club.

"Hey," he said, just as she took her phone from her ear.

"Oh, hey. New York calling," she said with a fake smile, holding up her phone before she tossed it back into her bag. He smiled back at her, but she could tell he was nervous.

"So look, are we ever going to talk about it?" he asked her, leaning an arm on the railing next to him.

"Talk about what?" she said, looking down at her feet.

"About the night you drove me home and kissed me in the back of a damn limo," he said and smiled at the memory.

Her eyes shot up to meet his. "That was nothing," she said. He knew she was lying.

"You sure about that?" he asked with a grin, before grabbing her by the waist.

"Skills," her raspy voice cut through the moment, but she couldn't finish her sentence; she didn't know what else to say. He had pulled her close to him and his face was inches away from hers. His eyes glanced down at her lips.

"It wasn't nothing to me, either," he said. She closed her eyes. She'd thought about that kiss every day for weeks. Before she could protest, or say anything in return, his lips were on hers again. His kiss was delicate and gentle, and he pulled away, leaving her wanting more.

"Skills, we can't do this." She looked into his eyes again, and regretted it immediately.

"Oh yes, we can." He kissed her forehead and released her from his arms. He winked at her before walking away, leaving her flushed and standing alone. He was right. There was no reason they couldn't.

Brooke composed herself and walked back into the club. Lucas was standing at the table alone, watching his friends dancing again.

He saw her come and stand next to him, and she knew exactly who his eyes were fixed on before even glancing at the dance floor.

"I heard you two spent the day together yesterday. Maybe it's a good thing you hung on to that ring," she looked up at him with a smile.

"What? How'd you know I still have it?" He narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"Luke, I know you. You hung onto her all those years, I knew you'd keep the ring, hoping you'd get a chance to give it to her." Brooke's gaze went back to their friends, and to one man in particular.

He shook his head. "I never could figure out why you never told her. You were the only one who knew."

"It wasn't my secret to tell, Lucas. And besides, I didn't want to ruin the surprise." She turned to face him now.

"What?"

"You really think you two won't end up married someday?" she asked, and observed the shock on his face. "You know how you hung on to her? I hung onto both of you and the idea that that kind of love exists. I knew you were meant to be together. I think I knew that even when _we_ were together. And I also didn't want to confuse her. Those two years were her journey to take. And you know what? They were yours too. You both are better off because of it, trust me. I know it hurt like hell as it was happening, but..."

"You're right," he said.

"I am?" She tilted her head in response to his statement.

"Yeah, you are." He smiled back at her, then they both turned to face the dance floor again. After a few moments of watching their friends laughing at Nathan's lack of coordination, Brooke spoke again.

"I kissed Skills." She just blurted it out. She'd wanted to tell him, to tell anyone, since the night it happened. Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head a couple times.

"You what?" he asked with a curious smile.

"I kissed him. And then he kissed me." She looked at him again. He could see that she was afraid, though he didn't know what she was scared of.

"When did this happen?" He leaned on the table, indicating his interest in the story.

"The last time we all came to Tric. Then he just kissed me again, now." She looked down and played with the straw in her glass of club soda. "What do I do, Luke?"

He chuckled. Brooke Davis had grown into one of the strongest people he knew, and yet she was terrified of letting someone into the world she'd created for herself.

"Do you have feelings for him?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She wouldn't have said anything to him if she didn't.

"I think I do." She glanced over at him dancing. He looked like a fool, but that's kind of what drew her to him - he was confident, but not arrogant, and would do anything to make his friends laugh. Actually, he'd do anything for his friends, period.

"Then go for it!" He'd never thought of Brooke and Skills that way - he never would have thought the two would get together. But somehow, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him.

"Really?" she asked. "You don't think it'd be weird?"

"Brooke, it's not weird if it's what you want. And for the record, I think it's great." She smiled at him, and mouthed the words _'thank you'_ as their friends came to join them where they were standing. She knew she didn't need his blessing, but she was glad to have it.

The seven of them spent the rest of their evening dancing and just having fun. Peyton vowed to have no more than three drinks. She'd hit her limit, and decided to go outside for some air. She walked away from the table smiling, leaving the group of her best friends behind. Lucas and Mouth were talking, Nathan had his arm around Haley and whispered something to her that made her blush, and Skills was joking with Brooke, causing her to throw her head back and laugh. Lucas saw her walk outside out of the corner of his eye, and excused himself after he and Mouth had finished their conversation.

"You OK?" he asked as he walked up behind her. She recognized his voice immediately, and turned to face him.

"Yeah, I'm great." The stood there for a few moments. "I forgot how nice it is when we're all in the same place."

"Me too," he said.

"What? You've been doing this every Sunday!" she said with a smile.

"Something was missing," he said, locking his eyes onto hers. She felt her breath catch. "If I kiss you right now, is that going to ruin everything?"

His voice was husky and the question caught her off guard. It was all she'd thought about all day. She'd fantasized about their next kiss, and wondered when - if ever - it was going to come. He took another step toward her, his blue eyes still on hers, and she simply shook her head no. She couldn't find words. She tried to breathe, but when his left hand cupped her cheek, it took the air out of her body again. His lips pressed to hers and she felt a wave of emotion crash over her.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and breathed in deeply with his eyes closed. She could only smile.

"You want to go back inside?" she asked, placing a hand on his chest and playing with a button.

"No," he let out a breathy laugh, "but let's go." He kissed her forehead and let her walk past him, checking her out again as he followed her back into the club.

A bachelorette party had crashed the scene, with 12 loud, drunk, obnoxious women sucking the energy from the room. Haley looked on with disgust.

"Please tell me we didn't look like that at my bachelorette!" she pleaded.

"No, you were in lingerie and we were pole dancing, remember?" Peyton stated with a wide smile as her and Lucas rejoined the group. The four men just looked at each other with shocked faces as they were let in on the secret the girls had kept for years. The three women started laughing hysterically at the memory.

"Let's get out of here," Brooke said, grabbing her bag off the table in front of her.

"It's still kind of early," Nathan said, checking his watch. "Where do you want to go?"

The seven of them exchanged knowing glances, and they all made their way to the door. Skills placed a hand on the small of Brooke's back and as she turned to look at him, he just winked at her. When Lucas noticed the interaction and smiled at the brunette, she looked down and brushed a piece of hair from her face.

--

They arrived at the River Court and the headlights of the two vehicles lit up the court. Nathan grabbed a basketball from the back of his SUV and tossed it to Skills, who dribbled across the court.

"Hey yo, Mouth. You gotta be our fourth!" he shouted as his friend went to take a spot on the bleachers with the girls.

"Skills, I suck," Mouth stated.

"I didn't say you could be on my team!" Skills said, making everyone laugh. "Me and Luke against you and Nate. I get a heart patient, he gets someone who ain't never played. Almost even!"

Lucas rolled his eyes, "Skills, give me the damn ball."

Nathan rolled up his sleeves and guarded against his brother, who threw up the shot and watched as it went in.

The scene was all to familiar for the three girls. They sat, huddled together for warmth under a blanket from Brooke's car, smiling at the sight of the boys playing against each other and jeering them from the sidelines.

Skills and Lucas won the game, but it was closer than they'd all thought. Turns out, after all those years of watching others play, Mouth had picked up some moves. They all sat and talked for a while before Haley looked at Nathan's watch and announced they had to get home.

"Come on, Peyton, we'll drop you off," Nathan offered as he and his wife got up to leave.

"Actually, I was thinking I'd walk. It's not that far." It was a terrible excuse to be around Lucas for longer, but they bought it, or at least pretended to.

"Skills, Mouth?" Haley offered.

"Actually, yeah. If you don't mind," Mouth said.

The three of them hugged their friends and walked towards Nathan's SUV with broad smiles on their faces. As much fun as they'd had that night, Haley couldn't wait to get home and kiss her little boy forehead while he slept, and Nathan couldn't wait to get home and kiss his wife.

"And then there were four," Peyton said as they watched their friends drive away.

"Actually, I should get going. Work tomorrow, you know?" Brooke said, standing and smoothing out her dress. "Skills, you want a ride?" As she said the words, she noticed the double entendre, which wasn't how she intended it.

"If you're offering," he smiled. She rolled her eyes at him, then bent down to hug Peyton and Lucas. They said their goodbyes and left, but not before Lucas could wink at Brooke. She was starting to regret telling him anything.

When they got in the car, Skills reached over and grabbed her hand. The feel of his hand on hers startled her, but she turned to him and smiled. They stayed like that until they reached her house. She cut off the engine and turned to look at him, but he spoke before she could.

"Brooke, we don't have to do anything..." he started.

"What made you think we were going to?" she asked, and hopped out of the car.

He opened his door and got out, following her to the door of her house. He watched as she unlocked the door.

"I just mean that ain't what it's about for me," he said. Her eyes met his, and before he could continue talking, she'd placed a hand on the back of his neck and her lips on his. She closed the door behind them and he pressed her against it. "But it could be about that if you want," he smiled.

--

Peyton and Lucas sat at the River Court under the blanket Brooke had left. He hesitantly placed his hand on hers, and felt relieved when she wove her fingers into his. She leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder. The past two days had been exactly what she'd wanted, and they'd left her wanting more of the same with him. They sat like that in silence for a while, with just their breathing accompanying the water of the river lapping behind them.

"I should get you home," he finally spoke.

"Oh, come on, Larry's not there to scold you," she joked, looking up at him and making him grin.

"Come on." He stood and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders before wrapping his arm around them too.

They walked the distance to her house quietly breathing in the night air. It was almost 2:00 a.m. but neither of them were tired. They got to her door and he still didn't want to let her go. She rummaged through her bag for her keys and unlocked the door. He planted a kiss on her forehead and rubbed her shoulder, and she turned to open the door. She turned her head too look at him again.

"Good night, Luke," she said. He nodded at her and smiled, and she stepped into her house and closed the door behind her. He stood on porch and couldn't shake the feeling of wanting more. She leaned her back against the door before turning around and pulling it open again. He was just walking down the steps when he heard it open. He turned around and saw her standing there.

"Luke, I have to ask you something?" She looked beautiful, with only the light from the porch light illuminating her pale skin and blonde hair.

"Sure," he said quietly, walking back onto the porch. He was afraid of what she might say.

"Why all of a sudden?" She asked. He knew what she meant, but she kept talking anyway. "Why now?"

He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on either side of her face, looking deep into her green eyes like he had so many times before.

"I've been in love with you, without you, for too long." He stated it like the fact that it was, and he felt her hand slide to the small of his back. She had tears in her eyes again. She hadn't expected that answer, or that four letter word.

"Lucas..." she looked up at him, but the kiss he planted on her mouth stopped her from finishing. He walked her backwards into the house and kicked the door shut behind them. They were tangled in each other in the foyer of her home and she frantically undid the buttons of his shirt. Somehow they made their way up the stairs to her bedroom, leaving articles of clothing, and any issues they had yet to resolve, behind them.

They collapsed onto her bed and his arms on either side of her and the weight of him pinned her beneath him. His hands found their way to her hair and his mouth was on her neck as she writhed beneath him.

"Luke, wait," she tried to say.

"Uh uhn," he mumbled into the space at the base of her neck that always made her moan. She got caught up in him again and in the kisses he was placing on her neck and chest, but she pulled his head up so his eyes could meet hers.

"Maybe we should wait," she said softly. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but it felt right to suggest it. They'd only recently been able to be in the same room with each other.

"We've waited long enough," he said huskily and kissed her lips again. "God, I need you, Peyton." His hands and lips continued to roam her body, and she got lost in the moment again, but not before managing to speak the words she'd wanted to say for the past three days.

"I love you, Lucas."

--

--

**A/N:** Brooke and Skills? Crazy, I know...but somehow, I can see it working. Let me know what you think!

I know this chapter was suuuper long, but I didn't want to cut anything, and I wanted to get the whole day into one chapter. Hope you liked it!


	14. Chapter 14

Peyton was startled from her sleep by her alarm clock, then by something else - the arm that was laying on her stomach. She wasn't used to waking up with someone. She reached to silence the buzzing next to her head and felt him stir, then tighten his hold around her midsection.

"Hi," she said softly, with her back still to him. He breathed deeply and kissed her shoulder.

"Hi," he echoed.

She rolled over to look at him, and they lay like that for a few minutes, just staring at each other. "OK, we have to get up," she finally said, turning away from him.

"Do we?" he asked, kissing the back of her neck.

"Yes, we do." She set her feet on the floor and made her way, naked, to the bathroom.

"That is _so_ not fair," he choked out and rolled onto his back.

"You have practice, and I have work," she shouted from the bathroom as she stepped into the shower.

He laid in her bed and daydreamed about her until the water stopped. She walked out of the bathroom in just a towel, with her wet hair falling around her face.

"You know, if you want to get a guy out of your bed, looking like that," he pointed at her, "isn't the way to do it." She sat on the bed next to him and he placed a hand on her thigh.

"I'd stay here all day with you if I could," she stated softly.

"Me too," he replied.

"I meant what I said last night, Lucas," she looked at his blue eyes for the millionth time in her life. "I love you."

"I meant it too." His thumb moved slowly in a circle on her leg. She leaned in to kiss him.

"OK, stop," she said, smiling and getting up.

"I'm not the one who needs to stop," he laughed and watched her pick out her clothes for the day. He checked the clock again and groaned. "I should go, I guess."

She walked back to him as he stood from her bed in just his boxers and ran a hand through his hair. She placed her hand on his stomach, looked up at him, and kissed his cheek.

"I just have to find my clothes." They both laughed and how things had happened the night before. He picked his pants up off the floor and kissed her goodbye before heading down the stairs in search of the rest of the things he had worn.

She heard the door close and shrieked with long held in happiness.

Lucas walked home with a smile on his face so big that he knew hew as giving himself away. He was doing the walk of shame, but there was nothing shameful about it. He'd just spent the night with the woman he was in love with.

--

Brooke was startled from her sleep by her alarm clock, then by something else - the arm that was laying on her stomach. She wasn't used to waking up with someone. He reached across her and switched off the alarm, then rested his weight on top of her again with a wide smile playing on his lips.

"That actually happened," she stated, smiling.

"Yes. It. Did." He said as though it was his life's greatest accomplishment. He kissed her and felt her fingers press into his back.

"You need to get off me now," she said, moving her hands to his chest and trying to push him from her.

"What? Don't tell me you're a love 'em and leave 'em kinda girl," he said, rolling off her and laying on his side with his head resting on his hand.

"No, I'm an - I have to get to work - kinda girl," she said, grabbing a her robe and wrapping it around her body. "And don't you have practice?"

"Yeah, but talkin' with Luke and Nate ain't as much fun as what me and you could do here all day," he said with a mischievous grin.

"That might be right," she said with a sultry voice and sat next to him on the bed, running her hand along his back as she leaned down to kiss him. "But I'm leaving, so unless you want to have that fun alone here, you should get out of my bed and go to your practice." She stood up again and he watched her walk towards her washroom.

He sat up and grabbed his pants from where they were on the floor and began to put them on.

"Who'da thought sexy Miss B. Davis and Skills Taylor would get together?" he asked as he grabbed for his shirt and the tie he'd worn the night before. He'd rocked the so-called 'Kanye look' with the shirt, tie, and sweater vest, and Brooke had told him she approved of his choice of clothing as she pulled it off him the night before.

"Certainly not me," she called from the bathroom. He walked towards her voice and stood leaning against the door frame as she showered.

"You know, I meant what I said last night," he stated. "I really care about you, Brooke."

She peeked out at him, holding the shower curtain to cover herself. "Me too," she said. He walked towards her and kissed her quickly, not caring that water was dripping from her hair and onto him. "Call me later," she said as she closed the curtain again to hide the huge smile on her face.

Skills left Brooke's house and walked towards his apartment, thinking the whole time how crazy it was that the two of them had gotten together. He was so relieved to hear her say that it wasn't just a one time thing.

He got to his apartment and closed the door behind him. Mouth had already left for work, so he didn't have to face questions from him yet. He quickly showered and changed into his clothes for practice. He couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted so badly to tell someone about a girl he was seeing, but he wasn't sure if he should tell anyone yet, just in case she changed her mind. She was Brooke Davis. She could have any man on the planet. Why had she chosen him?

--

Haley was startled from her sleep by her alarm clock. She quickly turned off the alarm, then turned to face her husband, and smiled as she looked at him sleeping. After waking up next to him almost every day since they were 17, it still warmed her heart to feel him next to her. She leaned over and kissed the tip of his nose, but he didn't wake up like he usually did.

"Nathan," she whispered into his ear.

"Mmm," he grumbled.

"Nathan, you have to get up," she kissed his temple and ran her hand over his shoulder and his eyes slowly opened.

"Hi," he said softly, and looked into his wife's eyes. "You look beautiful."

"Stop it," she said, turning away from him and getting out of their bed.

"Where'd you go?" he called after her as she flew into their bathroom, still wearing the shirt he'd had on the night before.

"Shower time. You have to get to practice!" she said as she turned on the water.

He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. "Shower it is," he said, opening the glass door and stepping in behind her, causing her to squeal.

After they'd dried off and gotten dressed, they woke their sleeping son and ate breakfast. Nathan and Jamie had to leave before her. She watched as her husband lifted their son into the car and kissed his forehead while he strapped him into his car seat. She blew Nathan a kiss as he got in and turned the key, and he smiled back at her. She still made his heart race.

--

Lucas was already at practice watching his team do the conditioning drills they did at each practice when Nathan walked in with Jamie. Skills wasn't far behind them.

They ran their practice, and Jamie hung out with the the boys on the team afterward. Nathan, Lucas, and Skills watched as the youngest Scott joked and laughed with the older boys.

"So, I slept with Peyton last night," Lucas blurted out. He'd been dying to tell them all morning, but wouldn't say anything with Jamie around.

Skills and Nathan looked at him, then at each other. Lucas couldn't hide his goofy smile.

"I slept with Brooke last night," Skills said, nonchalantly. Lucas and Nathan looked at him, then at each other, with shock on their faces. The three stood there for a moment, digesting the previous two statements.

"I slept with Haley last night," Nathan finally said. They all laughed. "OK, so that's not so shocking." He rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. "You slept with Peyton? And you slept with Brooke?"

"Yeah. I walked her home and it just happened," Lucas said, still watching the team.

"Yeah. She drove me to her place and had her way with me," Skills said, turning to Nathan as the brothers exchanged a glance.

"So," Nathan started, "we've all slept with Brooke." They all laughed again and Nathan shook his head. "Gotta love a small town."

"But you're really into her, right?" Lucas asked Skills.

"Yeah. She's amazing." Lucas and Nathan smiled at each other again upon hearing their friend talk about the girl they both cared about. Skills hadn't admitted to actually having feelings for a girl since he and Bevin broke up.

"You and Peyton?" Skills asked.

"I love her, man," Lucas said with a smile.

Skills and Nathan shared a look, then both said, "We know."

"Life is crazy," Nathan said, as he watched his son running towards them. "Hey Jimmy Jam, you ready?"

"Yup. Let's go daddy. Bye uncle Lucas, bye uncle Skills."

Lucas and Skills exchanged their goodbyes with the two Scotts and watched as Nathan flung Jamie up over his shoulder and walked out of the gym.

"You and Brooke?" Lucas asked again, feigning disbelief.

"Trust me, Luke. No one's as surprised as we are." Lucas patted Skills on the back and they walked out of the gym.

--

Brooke and Peyton had briefly bumped into one another that morning, but both were too happy and invested in their own daydreams to notice the other. Haley was coming for lunch, so they knew they'd talk then, but that time couldn't come fast enough. Peyton sat in her office forcing herself to work, and Brooke busied herself with some new design sketches.

Haley arrived at the boutique just before 12:00. Mondays she had her free period after lunch, so she could hang out with the girls until 2:00.

She walked into the boutique and sat down on the sofa just as Peyton was walking down the stairs into the store. "Brooke, I spilled coffee on my top today when some hooligan flew past me on a skateboard. You have anything I can wear?"

"I had sex with Skills last night." Brooke stood behind the counter and her hand clasped in front of her mouth as soon as she'd spit out the words. Peyton and Haley's eyes widened and they stared at their friend.

"I had sex with Lucas last night." Peyton blurted it out from where she was standing next to Haley. Her eyes shifted to Brooke, then Haley, and both girls were smiling toothy grins.

"I had sex with Nathan last night." Haley laughed after she said it. "OK, so maybe that's not so scandalous." She turned towards Peyton. "You and Lucas? He said you were taking it slow!! And Brooke! You and Skills?"

"I know. It just happened. But I like him." Peyton and Haley looked at their friend again and noticed she was smiling and playing aimlessly with the pen in front of her instead of looking at them.

"Then that's great, Brooke," Peyton said, walking towards Brooke and placing a hand on her friend's over the counter.

"Oh yes, it is," Brooke said, raising her eyebrows. The three of them started laughing. Haley walked over and stood next to Peyton.

"So what's with you and Lucas, then?" Haley asked.

"He said he loves me." She couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Peyton, that's amazing," Brooke said, meeting her friend's eyes, then she walked to the front of the store looking for a top for Haley to wear.

"You are soooo in love with him," Haley taunted Peyton.

"I am not! It's been one day!" Brooke shouted. Haley and Peyton stared at her and she turned around to look at them. "Oh. You were talking to...right...nevermind." Peyton and Haley started to laugh.

"Are you sure, Brooke?" Peyton teased. "Maybe you _do_ love him!"

"Stop it!" Brooke swatted at Peyton's backside with the shirt she was holding. "Skills and I just...get along."

"Obviously!" Haley stated.

"Here!" Brooke said with a smile. "Put this on and be quiet."

Haley went to the back room of the store and quickly changed her shirt. The three of them hung out in the store talking until Haley had to get back to school. She was so thrilled to see her two best friends so happy and finally getting what they wanted. Since she'd known Peyton, all she'd wanted was Lucas. She thought years ago that they'd get married and be together forever, and now she was starting to believe that again. And Brooke had always been the girl with the big heart that she never let anyone see. To think that she was going to let someone in, and that someone was a person that Haley knew and trusted - it just warmed her heart.

When she got back to the school, Haley checked her watch and realized she still had 20 minutes before her class, so she decided to stop by Lucas' office. She saw that both he and Skills were there.

"Hey boys," she said, leaning against the door frame.

"Hey Mrs. James Scott," Skills said with a grin.

"Don't 'Hey Mrs. James Scott' me, I know what you two were up to last night." She walked into the room and sat in the empty seat next to Skills. They both looked at her skeptically, afraid of what the next words out of her mouth would be. "You," she pointed at Lucas, "it's about time." He laughed. "And you," she turned to Skills, "You and Brooke? I did _not_ see that coming." He smirked and looked down at his lap. "But I think it's great."

"Thanks Haley," they both said.

"But for the record, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told them." She looked at them sternly. "I do not want to hear any details of your sordid affairs. You're like my brothers and that's just...wrong." Lucas and Skills just laughed and nodded in agreement. "I have to get to class. See you later."

--

Skills walked into Brooke's store just as she was getting ready to leave. She wasn't expecting him to show up, but she was happy to see him.

"Hi," she said, walking towards him with her bag slung over her shoulder. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Taking you to dinner," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"That's sweet, but kind of presumptuous, don't you think?" She grinned. "Just assuming I'll want to have dinner with you?"

"Maybe. But you do, right?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Yeah, I do." She turned to face him. "Listen, I may have told Haley and Peyton."

"I told Nate and Luke, too. Don't worry about it. As long as you told them all the freaky details and how great I am."

"Get out of my store!" She grabbed his hand and turned to set the alarm and locked the door behind them. Just as they started walking down the street, they saw someone familiar coming towards them.

"Oh my God, are you two like, dating now?" Lucas laughed as he saw them.

"A girl's gotta eat, Lucas," Brooke said, nudging his arm playfully.

"You kids have fun," he said and let them walk past him. A smile came to his face at the sight of the two of them laughing with each other. His smile got bigger as he saw the woman walking towards him.

"Hey," she said, her tone indicating she was surprised to see him.

"Hi." He wasn't sure why he was nervous, but the sight of her made him tense. She had put her hair up in a messy ponytail, like she always did when she'd had a particularly hard day. She was wearing jeans tucked into a pair of brown leather boots, and a simple black tank top under her sweater. "Long day?"

"How'd you know?" she asked.

"Just a hunch," he smirked. "I thought about you all day. Is it corny for me to admit that?"

"A little bit. But I'll allow it." She perched up on her toes and kissed him quickly.

"You have your computer in there?" he asked, pointing to the bag she had in her hand.

"Yeah, why?" she asked hesitantly.

"You want to come to my place and hang out?" he asked as they started walking towards her car.

"Um, sure. But what does that have to do with my computer?"

"Well, you have all the good music on there, right?" He knew her iTunes would be loaded with new songs and bands. He loved the idea of the two of them laying on his bed with music in the background - like they used to do.

"Here," she said with a smile, tossing him her keys. "You're driving."

He wondered how many hours he'd spent behind the wheel of this old car. Any time they went anywhere, he always drove, and she'd rest her head on his shoulder and control the radio - or fall asleep, on the long trips.

They pulled up to his house and she led him into his room by the hand. She put her bag down and instinctively laid down on the side of the bed closest to the door. _Her side_, they both thought. He smiled down at her, then laid beside her.

"So," he said, taking her hand in his, "tell me about your day."

"You wanna listen to it?" she asked, and he looked at her questioningly. She reached for her laptop and selected the first of the two songs her new act, Ben, had recorded that day. She let the music fill the room and she sank back into Lucas' arms and rested her head on his chest.

"Peyton, this is really great. I can't believe you're doing this," he said, running his hand up and down her arm. "Actually, I can believe it. I'm just really proud of you."

She sighed deeply. She had missed this so much, and she'd forgotten how amazing it was to just be _them_. But she felt a sadness, stemming from the thought that she could have had this all along. She hadn't needed to go to L.A. She hadn't needed to end things with him.

"It just makes me realize how selfish I was, Luke." She moved so she could look into his eyes as she spoke. "I thought I needed to be in L.A. to do this - to be happy with my work. I thought I needed to establish myself before settling down." He was shaking his head at her. "I wish I had known then what I know now."

"What do you know now?" he asked, his index finger tracing the inside of her forearm.

"That being with you isn't settling." She wanted to continue, but he pulled her close to him again and kissed her hard on the mouth. She was laying on his chest again, listening to him breathe, when he started to speak.

"Peyton, I know a couple great days together doesn't change the last two years, or the last two months." He paused to a moment. "But I didn't mean any of those things I said. I was just confused and shocked that you had actually come back. I wanted you back so bad. All I've wanted to do since that night I first saw you at Tric was take you in my arms and tell you that I love you. Because I do, Peyton. I love you."

--

Neither of them knew what time they had fallen asleep, but they woke up around 11:00, happy and starving.

"So what are you making me?" Peyton asked when her stomach grumbled loudly.

"You just assume I'm cooking?" he looked down at her face and knew that if she asked, he wouldn't be able to say no.

"Do you remember that one really great weekend we had together here? Your mom and Lily had just left and it was one of the first times you were here alone, so I came over." She sat up and tucked her legs underneath her. "We spent the entire three days in your room. We didn't even leave the house. We just had takeout and talked and listened to music and slept." He nodded as she spoke. He remembered that weekend vividly. It was the first time he really, honestly knew that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"Are you suggesting I get some takeout menus?" he asked. She grinned at him and he got up and walked to the kitchen. He came back with an assortment of folded papers and they ordered their dinner. They spent their night laughing and catching up as they sat on his bed, eating from their styrofoam containers. At about 2:00, she glanced at the clock and stood from the bed.

"I should probably go," she said.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked, moving to the edge of the bed and pulling her close to him by her hands.

"I have work tomorrow." She laced her fingers with his and ran her thumb along his.

"Stay," he said, looking at their intertwined hands. It didn't take much convincing. She had wanted him to ask her.

"OK," she said, playfully rolling her eyes. "But I don't have anything to sleep in."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he said in a low voice, resting his hands on her hips.

"I do need to sleep." She placed her hands on his shoulders.

"We can do that, too," he smirked. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm kidding," he said.

"No you aren't," she said as he stood and pulled her into him.

"No, but I would also love just to wake up next to you again." He kissed her softly, then pulled away and grabbed a tee shirt out of a dresser drawer. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

They both stripped down before laying back in his bed under the covers. She had her back to him, and his arm found its old familiar place around her midsection. He could feel and hear her every breath, and his heart was beating in his ears. He loved this woman with every single part of himself. And he knew that he was never going to let her get away again. Never. He thought of the ring sitting in its place in his sock drawer.

"Peyton," he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, Luke," she whispered back through the darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N - Just wanted to thank everyone again for the awesome reviews! Definitely feeling the love! Thank you!!

The excerpt from the book is totally made up and written by me, obviously. So I hope you don't hate it! I kind of think it sounds like something Lucas would write...Hope you enjoy!

--

--

Peyton woke up and the space next to her on the bed was empty, save for a stack of papers, and a handwritten note.

She picked up the note and read his handwriting.

_'Had to go to practice and didn't want to wake you. I finished it this morning...I wanted you to be the first to read it. Love, Lucas'_

She picked up the papers and began reading. She glanced at the clock and knew she'd be late to the office, but she needed to read the words he'd written. There were passages and paragraphs that filled her heart. She was taken back to her apartment in L.A. where she'd read the book for the first time, and realized just how much things had changed in the short amount of time since then. They had both gone through such a range of emotions to get to where they were now.

She made it to the last page and was actually sad to have reached the end of the book, but her attention focused again as she read the words in front of her.

_'I told her this story was hers to finish, and it took me almost three years to realize that it wasn't. _

_It didn't need to be finished. _

_Peyton Sawyer changed my life. She's still changing my life. Every day, whether she's in it or not, I call upon something she's taught me. Just by living - by being _Peyton_ - she gives me a hope and a strength to face things with dignity or courage or tenacity, or whatever other attribute I came to possess through knowing her. This story won't have an ending, other than in the literary sense. This story will forever be a work in progress. There will be no finale - no culmination of events, or single life altering moment by which to resolve the plot. _

_The real ending here is not to the book. It's to the fear and uncertainty of love. I will never stop learning from those years I spent with her. Or, for that matter, the ones I spent without her. I learned that aversion to love is the most self-destructive of all the things we bring upon ourselves. Hiding your heart will only bring you misery. And you know what's better than that? Love. To give yourself to someone completely, and have them accept that gift with open arms. _

_I always knew she was the one. At times I was too stubborn and self righteous to admit it, but it was always there. _

_And this is just the beginning.'_

She read that last page five times, and each time it hit her as if she was reading it for the first time. She quickly got dressed, grabbed her things, and ran to her car. She was late for work, but her day wasn't as busy as most. She had to see him.

She parked outside the school and was flooded with memories again. The gym and his first game, the library and the day it represented for them both, the hallways where they would stand and kiss until the bell called them to their classes. She walked into the gym, her heels on the hardwood calling everyone's attention to her presence. But her eyes were only on him. He knew she'd read the pages - he'd wanted her to - but he hadn't expected her to show up here. She made her way to him and placed her hands on either side of his face, pulling him into a passionate kiss, leaving everyone who was there to witness the event in shock.

Nathan and Skills just watched with grins on their faces as the girl they'd seen Lucas pine after for years stormed back into his life. They shouldn't have been surprised, but there was an element to all of it that none of them had expected. Was it possible that their two friends were more in love now than they had been before? If this kiss was any indication, the answer to that question was yes.

When she finally pulled her lips from his, she rested her forehead against his.

"What was that for?" he asked, with a silly grin plastered on his face, amid jeers from his team of high school boys.

Her eyes were closed and she breathed in deeply. "That was just the beginning." She quoted the last line of his book to him, giving it a whole new meaning. Then she walked away from him and out of the gym, leaving him in anticipation of the next time he would see her.

"What the hell, Luke?" Nathan asked, as his brother turned back to face him.

"I uhh," he started, "I finished the book."

"Man, I gotta write me a book if it makes girls go and do things like that," Skills joked, before blowing his whistle and demanding the team return to their drills.

Peyton was walking down the hallway of the school to return to her car when she heard someone say her name. She turned around to see Haley walking towards her.

"Peyton, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just kissing Luke in the gym," she said with a grin.

"Ha, ha," Haley replied sarcastically, not knowing the statement was true, but thinking it was a throw back to when they were teenagers. "Really, what's up?"

"He finished the book." Peyton saw the smile spread on Haley's face. "I really was just kissing him in the gym."

"That must be some ending!" Haley laughed.

"It is," she smiled and looked at her feet just as the bell rang. "Duty calls, Mrs. James Scott."

"Get out of here. Don't you have a label to run?" Haley joked, then started towards her classroom as she said goodbye to her friend.

Peyton finally made it to her office and put in a solid day of work. She got much more done than the previous day, and much more done than she'd expected to or needed to. Brooke came into her office around 3:00 and sat in the chair across from Peyton's desk. She looked exhausted. Peyton knew the store had been busy that day, as she could hear the bell of the door ringing often while she worked.

"Hey buddy," Peyton greeted her friend. "I heard you were dining with Skills last night."

Brooke rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure why, but part of her felt like she needed to keep her relationship, if you could even call it that at this stage, a secret. She felt like things were going smoothly, and didn't want to ruin that by letting too many people know. But Peyton was her best friend.

"Yeah, he came by as I was closing," Brooke played with the hem of her silk top.

"Brooke, you really like him, don't you?" Peyton gently pried.

"I do. And it's scary." She finally looked up again.

"Why is it scary?" the blonde asked, leaning forward.

"I don't have the best track record with relationships," she said, tilting her head. "I just don't want to do it all again."

"Do what all?"

"Fall for someone and get hurt! I'm afraid he'll see through me and realize I'm just a girl." She had always been able to tell her best friend things, but Peyton had never heard her say things like this.

"Hey. Don't you realize that that's what we all love about you? You're still the same great person you've always been. And you're not _'just' _a girl." Peyton stood and walked to kneel in front of her friend.

"Yeah, but I'm not dating you."

"Brooke, Skills knew you before all the clothes and success. He knows you have an amazing heart."

"Maybe that's the scary part. Most guys have to work to get to see that, but he's already there."

"If there's anything I've learned, it's that you can't hide from your feelings." Peyton sat in the chair next to her friend.

"Who knew they'd take me to Skills? Skills!!" Brooke smiled, finally.

"Well, who knew Lucas and I would get back together?" Peyton said, standing to go back to her desk chair.

"Ummm," Brook started, "everyone did."

"What?"

"Oh my God! Peyton, we talked about it all the time! Me, Haley, Nathan. We all knew. We were just waiting for you two idiots to figure it out." Brooke noticed her friend's wide smile. "I'm glad you're happy."

"I am happy" Peyton said, looking back down at her desk. "But I think I might be even more scared than you are."

"What?" Brooke asked. "You and Luke are totally blissed out on each other!"

"Yeah, but I broke his heart, Brooke. I don't think he can just forgive me of that right away." She took a deep breath. "I don't want him to regret any of this."

"Regret what?"

"Regret being with me. And waiting for me. And...loving me." The blonde began tracing the number 3 that was on the page in front of her.

"Peyton, he won't." Brooke made sure her friend looked her in the face. "He hasn't."

"I want to believe that."

"Then believe it. Or talk to him." Brooke grabbed Peyton into a hug. "Are you going to be OK up here?"

Peyton laughed and narrowed her eyes. "Of course, I am. Why?"

"Because I have to get back to work." The girls waved to each other and Brooke started back down the stairs.

Peyton was just getting her mind focused on the task at hand again when her phone beeped. She saw that the text message was from Lucas, and opened her phone to read what he'd sent. _'Meet me at the RC at 7:00' _She looked at the time again. 3:15. 7:00 seemed so far away at the time, but she decided to bury herself in work again until she had to meet him. It seemed she'd been doing a lot of that lately - distracting herself with work. But both her sanity and her company had benefitted from it.

--

Peyton parked her car and watched as he grabbed his own rebound and walked toward her to meet her at the edge of the court.

"You know, Nathan said you didn't come here much any more. You making a liar out of him?" She instinctively grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and played with the button.

"Nathan doesn't know where I am all the time. This place is..." He twisted his head to survey the place where he'd grown up - and was still growing.

"You."

"Yeah." He turned back to her. "And I love that you understand that." He kissed her on the forehead. "You OK if I play a little while longer?"

"Of course. I love to watch you." She kissed his cheek and smiled at him as she walked to the bleachers. He played for another 20 minutes before joining her.

"Sorry," he said, before kissing her temple and placing a hand on her thigh.

"Don't apologize!" she demanded. "It's what you love."

"Yeah," he said, looking down at his shoes.

"So, can we talk about the book?" she asked, looking at him.

"What's there to talk about?" He was suddenly embarrassed and nervous.

"It's beautiful," she said, and he shook his head. "Lucas, it is."

"But?" he asked.

"But nothing. I'm so proud of you." She rubbed his hand as it rested on her thigh. "I just...You seem to have forgiven me really quickly."

"Forgiven you for what?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"For everything!" She stood in front of him.

"Are you forgetting the past two months?" He attempted to joke, but she wasn't playing into it.

"Luke," she tilted her head, "I know it shouldn't be this easy."

"Peyton, it _is_ this easy." He stood and placed his hands on her shoulders to look in her eyes. "I promise you. You don't have to worry about it."

"I do worry about it!" She looked to her feet again, trying to hide the tears she knew he'd see anyway. "God, Luke, I was such an idiot."

"Stop it." She was shaking her head. "Stop it," he said firmly, and placed his hands on her face.

"I need to know what this is."

"What?" The question caught him completely off guard.

"This! Us! What do you want from this?" The shock in his eyes told her she had to continue. "I love you, Luke, and it kills me that I ever made you doubt that. I know I hurt you really badly the last time and I don't think you can just forget that. So what is this? What do you want?"

"Peyton, I wrote a book about how much I love you." She closed her eyes again and shook her head. "I bought a ring, and I kept that ring. And someday, that ring is going to be on this finger," he said, grazing her left hand ring finger with his thumb.

"Lucas..."

"I love you. And I need you in my world. OK?" He gently lifted her face to meet his. "I don't want you to ever question that. I've lived without you, and I don't ever want to do that again. Ever."

She finally smiled again. "Good answer." She melted into his arms and they stood there for a few minutes, each noting the significance of the conversation they'd just had. They finally let go of the hurt and confusion of the past. They could forget the way it used to be, and focus on the way it was going to be. Neither of them knew what was going to come, but they knew they'd be together, and there was an overwhelming sense of comfort in that.

"So, why don't you take me back to your place and finish what you started this morning?" he asked with her still wrapped in his arms.

"Oh, God. I hope I didn't get you in trouble," she pulled away and looked him in the eyes, trying to suppress a grin.

"With who? I'm the head coach," he asked. They started walking to her car, her hand in his. "That was quite a little show, though."

"Shut up!" She said with a smile and pushed him.

"Aww, come here." He pulled her into him just before she got to the car.

"No way. I'm not kissing you again." She turned her head away from him.

"Yeah, OK. We'll see how long that lasts." He took the keys from her and climbed in the car.

"Are you sure that's something you want to challenge me to?" she asked. She saw him smiling. "I could do it."

"Come on, you really think you could go even an hour without kissing me?" He knew he was pushing her. He knew she'd accept the challenge, but he also had a pretty strong feeling that she wouldn't be able to help herself.

"Keep that up and it'll be a hell of a lot longer than an hour!" He glanced over at her, expressing his doubt. "Fine! You'll see."

They drove through the town in her car. She was smug and stoic, thinking she'd win this bet and then have bragging rights. He parked the car on the street and told her he'd be right back - he just had to pick something up. She sat and waited for him with a smile on her face, breathing in the crisp evening air. He returned to the car with a bag in his hands, but didn't offer any insight as to what it was, and she didn't ask.

They got to her house and he put a hand on her hip and stood behind her as she unlocked the front door. She could feel his breath on her neck and her resolve was breaking, so she hurried inside and dropped her bags inside the door. She walked to the couch and collapsed among the pillows. He lifted her legs and sat down, resting them on his lap. He gently started massaging her foot, and she closed her eyes.

"See," she said after a few minutes, "not kissing." He let out a breathy chuckle and moved his hands to her calf.

"I got you something," he said.

"What? Why?" she asked, opening her eyes finally to look at him. He just tilted his head in response, instead of saying _'because I wanted to'._ He reached down beside the couch and pulled a rectangular box out of the bag.

"What is this?" she asked, opening the box. She pulled a photo frame from the cardboard, and placed her hand over her mouth when she saw what was it was holding.

It was a series of mementos from the first day they ever spoke; the paperwork from the car repair, a NOFX sticker, a sketch she'd done based on that day - her and him and the words_ 'you don't know me'_, and a few other reminders of their first conversation. She wasn't surprised that he'd gone to the trouble of doing this, but she was surprised that he was able to put these things together.

"Luke..." she said, looking up from the frame in her hands to meet his blue eyes.

"That was the beginning. I just wanted to remind you of how far we've come." He smiled at her and watched a grin come to her face. "Bet you really want to kiss me right now, don't you?" he teased.

"Yeah. You win," she said, leaning forward and putting her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his like she'd wanted to do since that morning when she left the gym.

When they finally parted, he smiled at her triumphantly. "Told you," he said softly. She unconsciously bit her bottom lip, then pulled him down so he was on top of her. "So worth it," she whispered, before kissing him again.


	16. Chapter 16

Three months had passed and Lucas and Peyton were Lucas and Peyton again. Their friends had never seen either of them as happy. Haley had taken to jokingly referring to her best friend as Lucas Sawyer again. He'd pretty much moved into her house with her. His mother and sister and Andy would be home from their travels soon, and they'd want the space to themselves. The two of them fell into an easy rhythm. They lived like a married couple, and they both loved it. He'd bring her flowers, she'd make him dinner, and they'd rest on the couch in each others' arms. He'd read while she drew or listened to music. It was comfortable and wonderful and neither wanted it to ever end.

Brooke and Skills were now a couple as well. He made her feel like herself again - the self she'd lost along the way somewhere between high school and going to a different premiere every night. She could be goofy with him without trying to uphold her image. She was falling for him, and she hadn't told anyone except Haley, who was thrilled. Skills was equally captivated by her. She was beautiful and funny and more talented than anyone even knew. She hid herself behind the company she'd grown from her and a sewing machine in her bedroom, to multiple offices and stores, but she was _amazing_. And she blew him away every day.

--

It was a Friday and Brooke had just gotten back behind the counter of her store after lunch. Milli was helping a customer, and Brooke was putting some finishing touches on a couple designs when Lucas came in. He walked towards the counter and leaned on it before she even noticed he'd come in.

"Hey!" she said, finally looking up from her papers.

"Hey," he replied. "Listen, I need your help with something."

"OK, what's up?" she asked. She walked from behind the counter and gestured for him to sit on the couch with her as he quietly started telling her what he needed from her.

--

The end of the day finally came around, and Peyton made her way down the stairs and into Brooke's shop.

"Done for the day?" Brooke asked.

"Um, yeah." Peyton laughed. It was obvious she was leaving.

"Hang on a sec, I'll walk out with you." Brooke gathered her things while her friend waited. They said goodbye to Milli who had agreed to lock up the store.

Brooke made small talk with Peyton, until the blonde got into her car and turned the key. The motor wouldn't start.

"Are you kidding me!?" she shouted, looking up at Brooke who was still standing next to the car.

"Well, when your car's like, 100..." Brooke stopped talking when she saw the death glare she was getting from Peyton. "Come on. I'll give you a ride."

"Ugh!" she groaned. "I just want to go home. This has been the longest week ever," she informed her friend as she slammed the door to her car, angry that it's engine had failed yet again.

The two got into Brooke's SUV and started driving. About a block away from the River Court, Brooke 'accidentally' dropped her cell phone onto the floor in the back seat.

"Dammit," she said. "Can you grab that for me?"

"Seriously, Brooke?" Peyton asked.

"I'm driving!"

"Oh my God! Fine!" Peyton unbuckled her seat belt and reached around into the back seat, but couldn't see anything. She rummaged around until she finally got her hands on Brooke's phone, just as the car came to a stop.

"Here's your stupid phone," she said, before her attention was drawn to the court in front of them. "Brooke, what's going on?"

"Give me my phone and get out. I'll see you tomorrow." As soon as Peyton had stepped out of the car, Brooke drove off, leaving the blonde to take in the sight before her.

All four sides of the River Court were bordered by candles, and there were more flames sitting on the bleachers and scattered on the court. Lucas was standing in the centre of it all, in a button down shirt and jeans, with a smile on his face.

"Lucas, what is this?" she asked, walking towards him.

"Peyton," he started, getting down onto one knee. She covered her mouth with her right hand and he reached for her left one. "I know it's a bit sudden, but these past few months with you have been amazing. It's like my heart's been empty for the past two years, until that night when you said you loved me. And I realized that I gave my heart to you when we were 18, and I never want it back. I still want everything with you. And I want to give you everything. I want to be the guy who makes you smile when you've had a bad day, and the guy who wakes up next to you every morning and never takes that for granted. I want to be that guy for you." He paused briefly to take a breath. "When I was 12 years old, I predicted that Peyton Sawyer would become Peyton Scott." He pulled a small black box from his pocket.

"Luke..." she whispered as a tear fell from her eye.

"So that's what I'm asking. Peyton Sawyer, will you marry me?"

"Luke, this is crazy!" she said, dropping to her knees in front of him so their eyes met.

"So what are you saying?" he asked with a smile. He wouldn't have even thought of asking her if he didn't think she'd say yes.

"I'm saying you're crazy! But I love you. And I am going to love you forever." She watched him open the box, revealing a beautiful diamond ring.

"Is that a yes?" The half-grin she fell in love with the first time they locked eyes, was on his lips.

"Yes! Yes, it's a yes!" He slipped the ring onto her finger and she threw her arms around his neck before even looking at it. She didn't care what the ring looked like. It could have been plastic, for all she cared. She was never as sure about anything in her life as she was in that moment, that she wanted to be his wife.

He pulled away from her finally, though she made it hard with her arms tightly wrapped around him. He looked into her eyes and briefly thought about saying something before realizing that he didn't need to. He bushed a curl from her face and tucked it behind her ear, then leaned in to kiss her. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

"Did we just get engaged?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, we did." He pulled his head back slightly to look into the green eyes he'd fallen in love with as a teenager.

"Wow." It was all she could think of.

"Yeah."

The two of them lay amongst the flickering candles on the court, watching the stars for the next hour. She joked that they were lucky that no one actually wanted to play.

"Want to go tell your soon-to-be brother and sister-in law?" he said, turning to face her, holding up the hand that was now wearing his ring.

"You don't think Brooke's already told everyone?" she said, watching him stand.

"Naw," he said. He reached for her hand to pull her up. "I told her she wasn't invited to the wedding if she told anyone."

He wrapped his arms around her again as she laughed. She knew Brooke wouldn't risk missing a wedding, especially not this one. And that's when it dawned on her, that she was going to have a wedding. She was going to be a bride. She was going to be _his_ bride. She had thought about it so many times - the day the two of them would be bound together forever - but now it was actually going to come true. She closed her eyes again to stop herself from crying, and breathed deeply as her face was buried in his chest. She smelled his cologne, and smiled at the idea of being able to do this every day for the rest of her life.

"So," she said, looking up at him, "who gets to blow out all these candles?" They both started laughing before they ran around the court, making sure every last flame was out.

--

Nathan and Haley had put their son to bed and were enjoying a quiet conversation when there was a gentle knock at their door. They looked at each other questioningly, wondering who would turn up on their doorstep unannounced, although it happened all the time.

They got up together to answer the door, to find Lucas and Peyton on the other side.

"Hey, guys," Haley said, gesturing for them to enter the house. "What's u...Oh. My. God!" Evidently, she'd noticed the ring. "Get out!"

Nathan was still completely unaware of what was going on, until he saw his wife grab for Peyton's hand.

"No way! Congratulations, big brother!" Nathan pulled his brother into a hug, then did the same with Peyton as Haley looked to Lucas with a bright smile on her face. They gushed for a few moments, carrying on two separate conversations, before Nathan invited them in.

"This is all really fast!" Haley said happily, leading them all back to the living room.

"Says the girl who got married at 17," Lucas teased, grabbing his fiancé's hand.

"OK, good point," Haley said, sitting next to Nathan on the sofa. "So tell me everything! No. Wait. Nathan go find champagne."

Nathan laughed at his wife, but secretly loved her enthusiasm. "Haley, we stock champagne in the house." He stood from the couch and went to their wine rack. "White wine will have to do."

Lucas and Peyton exchanged a happy gaze into each others' eyes and Haley smiled at the gesture they didn't realize she noticed. Nathan walked back into the room with four glasses and an open bottle of wine. When they each had a glass, Lucas told the whole story - from the proposal to how he got Peyton there.

"You actually rigged her car so it wouldn't start?" Nathan asked with a smile. Lucas just nodded. "Nice."

Lucas left out his long speech, however. He felt those were words that should be kept just between the two of them. It was one of those moments where you know everything is changing, and you can see it unfolding. He didn't want to ruin that.

"Well, congratulations," Haley said, trying to hide the tear forming in her eye. Nathan noticed and rubbed his wife's back, and she looked over at him with a small, appreciative smile. God, he loved that woman.

After visiting for a while longer, Lucas and Peyton left and walked back to Lucas' car. He held the door open for her as she climbed inside. As soon as he got inside the car, she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. They drove in silence and in darkness until she whispered something. He asked her what she'd said, but she told him it was nothing.

To her, it was everything.

--

They woke up the next morning exactly how they'd fallen asleep - in each others' arms.

He kissed the top of her head and spoke into her hair. "No second thoughts?"

She laughed softly. "No. I could stay like this forever." She curled her body into his. She knew all their days wouldn't be like this one, but she didn't care. She wanted to face everything with him - good or bad. She wanted everything with him.

"I can't wait till you're my wife."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: OK guys, here it is! The last chapter of this story. I really hope you like it! You can let me know by hitting the little blue review button! :)

--

--

Peyton and Lucas decided they wanted to get married in the spring, but there were no locations available that either of them liked. They were either too big, or too old, or too...gross. They'd checked with the local churches, but they had all been booked for the entire month of May. The same was true for all the local parks. And neither of them liked the idea of a beach wedding. It just seemed a little too _'Naley'_.

"What are we going to do, Peyton? We need to find a place," Lucas said, after a full morning of looking at places with availability. None of the spaces had spoken to them.

Peyton was making them tea. He smiled at the sight of her in the kitchen as he leaned against the doorway. She spent so much time in this part of the house, and yet he never got tired of seeing her here.

"I don't know, Luke. I'm just sick of looking at places with the paint peeling off the ceilings," she said, pouring boiling water into two mugs. She walked to the table and sat down. He finally entered the room and sat across from her.

"Well, what do you want to do?" he asked. "We can't just get married in the middle of the street. I want a place that means something."

They sat in silence for a moment until she thought of something.

"The River Court," she stated, looking straight at him.

"What?" he asked, completely caught off guard.

"I mean it, Luke. Why not?" she asked, getting more and more excited at the thought. "That place means something. It means everything."

He sat silently for a moment, just looking at her.

"This is why I'm marrying you," he said. She got up from her seat and walked to him, sitting on his lap. He put his arms around her and kissed her. "I love you," he whispered.

"Save it for the wedding!" She jumped up off his lap and left him laughing.

"Where are you going?" he shouted as she bounded towards the door.

"I have to go see Brooke! She needs to know where it's going to be so she can start on the dress." She ran back to the kitchen door and peeked her head in at him. "Don't even think of coming near Clothes Over Bros today or I'm divorcing you."

"Babe, we aren't even married yet." He called after her as she made her way to the front door of the house again.

"Technicality!" she shouted. "Bye!"

He heard the door slam and her car start and he sat there smiling. He loved happy Peyton. He loved that he was the one to make her happy. He loved her.

--

Peyton burst through the doors of Brooke's shop, causing both Brooke and Millicent to jump out of their skin.

She was barely in the store when she shouted, "the River Court!"

"OK, P. Sawyer, lay off the coffee," Brooke said, walking towards her friend and signaling for her to sit on the couch.

"No, no. We're getting married at the River Court," she explained.

"Wow! That's so..." Brooke started. "Perfect!"

"I know," Peyton said softly, glancing down at her left hand and the sparkle it now threw. "So now I need a dress."

The statement caused Brooke's mood to match the one she'd ridiculed Peyton for minutes earlier. Peyton and Millicent watched as Brooke grabbed an entire book of sketches she'd already completed. The two bystanders laughed as Brooke explained fabrics and layers and cuts. She was excited about the dress. Peyton didn't want to admit, but so was she.

"Simple, Brooke," she said. "No feathers, no ruffles, and no crazy puffy skirts."

"So..." Brooke said, searching for a sketch. "Something like this?" She held out the design for her best friend to look at. Peyton felt a lump forming in her throat.

"Yes," she choked out. "Exactly like that." She looked at Brooke, who was now also tearing up, and the two exchanged a hug. Peyton Sawyer was getting married, and Brooke Davis was going to make her the perfect dress.

"I'm so happy for you, Peyton," she said softly.

"Thanks, Brooke." Peyton looked at her friend. "Oh, and I know you probably just assumed you would be, but you'll be my maid of honor, right?"

Brooke threw her hands together and squealed in delight, then grabbed Peyton in a tight hug again.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Peyton laughed.

"I can design my own dress and everything and not be stuck with some monstrosity that looks horrific!"

Milli had snuck out and bought champagne, and they called Haley and made a day of it. The four girls spent the rest of the day choosing colours for Brooke's dress and taking measurements and getting excited for the wedding that would happen in a few short months.

--

After Peyton left the house, Lucas decided to head over to Nathan and Haley's to talk to his brother. He got there to find Skills, Mouth, Junk, Fergie, Nathan and Jamie lounging in the living room.

"Wow," he said, surveying the crowd. "Having a boy's day without me?"

"You are always with aunt Peyton," Jamie explained. Everyone else in the room stifled their laughter.

"Well, I'm not with her now!" he said, walking towards the boy. "Come here." He lifted Jamie up and kissed the his temple.

He sat in the living room with all his friends. "So I have news," he said.

"She's pregnant," Skills offered.

"What?" Lucas said, with eyes narrowed. "No!"

"It's not the craziest assumption, Luke. You _are_ a Scott," Mouth said. They all laughed.

"We found a place," Lucas explained, after the laughter had died down.

"That's awesome," Nathan said. "Where?"

"The River Court." He looked around the room to gauge his friends' reactions. Smiles were on everyone's faces.

"Why didn't you think of that sooner?" Skills asked.

"I didn't think of it at all," he said. "Peyton did."

"And that's why you're marrying her. Right there," Junk said. They all laughed again.

A few minutes later, they were back to playing video games and shouting at the television and each other, and Lucas pulled Nathan into the kitchen.

"So look, man. There's no way to ask this without sounding like a complete geek," he started, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder as he stood across from him. "But will you be my best man?"

Nathan stepped towards his brother and put his arms around him in a manly hug. "Of course I will."

The two just smiled and nodded. They'd certainly come a long way from where they started out. Just years ago they were strangers, and now they couldn't imagine not being in each others' lives. Lucas couldn't imagine anyone else standing next to him when he married Peyton. A current ran through his body just thinking about the day.

--

Three weeks before the wedding, Brooke had finished Peyton's dress. She was in the store with the curtains drawn, trying the finished product on for the first time. She stood in front of the mirror staring at herself, with her two best friends standing behind her. The three of them had tears in their eyes as they stood in silent recognition of the importance of this moment when Karen walked in. She saw her soon to be daughter-in-law and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Peyton, honey..." she said, walking towards the blonde and grabbing her hand. Haley and Brooke watched the scene unfold, knowing Karen had become a surrogate mother for Peyton.

"Not bad, right?" Peyton attempted to joke. The dress was simple white flowing material with a short train. The slender beaded straps sat perfectly on her shoulders and lead down into the sweetheart neckline, and the same beading as the straps was beneath the bust line. The back of the dress was cut down to the small of her back. It was tasteful and elegant, and perfect for an evening wedding. And perfect for the woman who was wearing it.

"It's incredible," Karen managed, with a hand wiping a tear from her face.

"Nothing left to do but wait for the day..." Peyton said, turning to face the three other women. The four of them were crying when they joined together in a group hug.

--

Brooke, and Nathan and Lucas stood on either side of the officiant, watching Peyton walk towards her groom. She already had tears in her eyes, but a wide smile was playing on her lips. It was as if it was only the two of them in the world. She couldn't even feel the eyes of their guests on her, watching her in her simple white gown, close the distance between her and her forever. All she could feel was the connection she had with the man she was about to marry.

He stared at her walking towards him, and she was all that existed in that moment. She was stunning. He'd thought of this day a thousand times, but this surpassed his expectations. They locked eyes and she smiled at him, and the tear he'd been trying to hold fell from his eye. He reached to wipe it away not caring who saw. This was all he ever wanted. When she reached him, he took her left hand in his and brought it to his mouth to drop a kiss on her knuckles. She placed her right hand on his cheek, gently drying it with her thumb as she smiled at him.

Karen, Andy and Lily, Haley and Jamie, Larry, Whitey, Deb, Skills, Fergie, Junk, Mouth, and Millicent sat on the bleachers, dressed in their wedding attire. They all watched with smiles on their faces as these two people, the closest thing to soul mates any of them had ever seen, spoke the vows they'd all thought would have been exchanged years earlier.

"When we stood and watched our best friends get married, Haley said words that I still remember. She said she found a bravery in herself. I feel that same bravery with you." Peyton delicately wiped a tear from her eye as she heard him speak. "Any time I need to call upon that bravery, it's because of you. Good or bad. Years ago I told you I'd love you forever and I wanted you next to me when all my dreams came true. Well here you are. And this is my dream. And it's coming true _with_ you, and _because_ of you. I love you, and I always have." He ran his thumb back and forth over the ring he'd just placed on her finger. Not being able to kiss her right now was torture.

"You saved me, Lucas. Before you ever knew it. I think you saved me before _I_ ever knew it. And I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to repay you for that. You made me believe in family again, and I'm so honored and proud to become part of yours. This life is a series of firsts, and I want the rest of mine to be with you. It always comes back to you. It's always been you. I'm gonna love you forever, Lucas Scott." Her chin trembled with her last sentence. She knew it was true - they both did. She slid the simple gold band onto his finger and looked in his eyes as they filled with tears again.

They were so caught up in each other that they almost didn't hear the officiant tell Lucas he could kiss his bride. _'His Bride'_, he thought. He placed his hands on her face and gently placed his lips on hers. He felt her hands slide up his back as he heard their small crowd clapping.

Brooke wiped the tears from her eyes and looked over to Skills, who was watching her with a smile. He shot her a wink and she smiled at him. Nathan looked to his wife and son and was reminded of how perfect his life was with them in it. Even Whitey had to wipe a tear seeing these two so happy.

The crowd moved to the small pavilion next to the court where tables had been set up and decorated, and dinner was to be served.

Brooke's speech was first, so she stood from her place next to Peyton and began speaking to the small crowd. "So, everyone here knows that I dated Lucas first." Everyone looked at each other nervously, but Lucas just looked to his lap, hoping her story was going somewhere. "But I think we all also know that he was never anyone other than Peyton's, it just took him a little longer to realize it. If anyone can show me two people more in love, I'd love to see it. It's always been Lucas and Peyton. You guys are the closest thing to destiny that I've ever seen." She turned to them. "P. _Scott_" she emphasized the name, causing Peyton to blush, "you are my very best friend and nothing makes me happier than to see you happy. So take care of each other, and the rest of us will make sure the world takes care of you both." Glasses clinked as Brooke hugged Peyton, and Lucas and her had a short conversation about her opening words.

Nathan was never really one for speeches, but he'd come up with a few words in spite of his discomfort.

"There are no strangers here, so it's not like anyone needs to be reminded of Lucas and my rocky beginnings. It all started when I tried to steal his best friend, he hit on my girlfriend." Everyone laughed. "Well, that worked out pretty well for both of us." He turned to the couple as the laughter continued. "But in all honesty, it warms my heart to see my brother and my best friend getting married. It couldn't happen to two better people. You guys are meant for each other, truly, and I think everyone here is glad you finally realized that. Congratulations." He raised his glass, then made his way to hug both Peyton and Lucas.

Their wedding couldn't have been more perfect.

Their favourite photograph from the day sits on the wall above the fireplace in their living room. He's attempting to concentrate on a shot, ball in hands, but his eyes are closed while she stands behind him with her arms draped over him and her dress flowing, whispering in his ear with a smile.

Only the two of them know what she had said - they were the same words she'd whispered in his car the night they got engaged.

_"Peyton Sawyer will become Peyton Scott..."_

--

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A/N: So that's it, guys! I realllly hope you liked the ending. Thank you SO, SO much for reading and all your kind words!! I'm working on a new story and the first chapter of it should be up in a day or so...I hope you'll check it out!


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